Valkyria Chronicles: Alliance of Blood and Iron
by Christopher Perkins
Summary: What if the German Battleship Bismarck hadn't sortied during the Second World War, except near the end. And what if elements of German High Command abandoned the Reich to its fate just before D-Day, only to draw themselves into a greater conflict? This is that story...
1. Prologue: Part 1

The year was 1944, May 6th to be precise. _KMS Bismarck_, having not sortied during Operation Rheinübung, her sister ship,_ KMS Tirpitz_, as well as a host of troop transports and supply ships were sailing in the North Atlantic, their target was the British naval base at Scapa Flow, to delay the inevitable invasion of northern France.

At least, that's what German High Command thought. In truth, Captain Ernst Lindemann, his counterpart onboard _Tirpitz_ as well as a Field Marshal of the Wehrmacht had begun preparations soon after the Christmas season of '43 for the massed evacuation of sympathetic elements of the Wehrmacht and Kriegsmarine as well as their families to Britain. They would arrive in British waters and begin broadcasting on all radio frequencies their intention to surrender in the hopes of drawing out elements of the Royal Navy to escort them to an Allied port.

All was quiet on the bridge of _Bismarck_, Captain Lindemann looked over the officers as they anxiously waited for the order to broadcast. Just then, the door to the bridge opened, revealing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, "Captain Lindemann, how long until we are able to set foot on solid ground again? My wife is feeling seasick."

Captain Lindemann chuckled, "Won't be long now Herr Rommel, the long and hard part is over," he replied before turning to him, "Why don't you send her to the medical bay, I'm sure we've got something that will help her."

Rommel sighed, "I already have," he replied before joining Lindemann at the front of the bridge, "Do you really think we'll be able to convince the Western Allies that we're being genuine?"

Lindemann looked to Rommel, "I think so, most of the commanders are a noble sort, I doubt they'd willingly harm civilians."

Just then, the radio came to life, "Unidentified ships, this is Commander Audie Williams of the _HMS Illustrious_, identify yourselves!"

Lindemann cleared his throat, "This is Ernst Lindemann, formally Captain of the German Kriegsmarine, under my command, I have the former ships _Bismarck_ and _Tirpitz_, we and our flotilla are requesting asylum in the United Kingdom."

There was a long pause before Commander Williams spoke again, "To clarify, you, your crew, the crews of every ship in that flotilla are refugees running from Nazi Germany?"

Lindemann replied, "Yes sir, we are."

The pause this time was much shorter, "We're about twenty klicks out, we'll be in visual range shortly, if you have some form of pure white flag, hoist them on your ships so we can identify you, I'd invite you aboard, but we have a massive storm bearing down on us, maintain heading and speed, we'll escort you in."

Lindemann sighed in relief, "Thank you, Commander, all of our ships are filled with civilians who are family of the crews onboard, I look forward to speaking with you in person."

William's reply was cut short by a shout from both sides of the transmission, "Captains! The storm! It seems to be accelerating towards us!"

Rommel was the first to express the thought on everyone's minds, "This isn't good," he muttered.

Lindemann retained some modicum of control, "All hands, brace for impact!" he shouted.

As an electrical film covered the ships of the Kriegsmarine and the ships _Illustrious_ and _Hood_ of the Royal Navy, the North Sea grew foggy. Once the fog cleared, and the sea calmed, the ships had just disappeared.

* * *

Lindemann was the first to regain consciousness. As such, he was the first to realize that he wasn't on his bridge anymore. Someone, a woman if his eyes weren't deceiving him, was standing near the group of men which he came to realize contained himself, Rommel, and three officers from Britain if their uniforms were any indication.

Seeing he was awake, the woman smiled, "Hello Captain Lindemann, don't worry, you're under no threat here."

Ernst blinked, "How did you know my name?"

Hearing a groan to his left, the woman just smiled, "Why don't we wait for your friends to awaken fully before we get into the technical questions Captain."

It didn't take long for the others to awaken, the younger British officer was the first to speak, "Well, who the bloody hell are you?"

Ernst grinned, "Former Captain Ernst Lindemann of the German Kriegsmarine at your service, and this here is the former Field Marshal Erwin Rommel."

Erwin gave a slight wave, and the older Brit nodded, "Then it's a pleasure to put a face to the name Captain Lindemann, I'm Commander Audie Williams of the _HMS Illustrious_, this is Captain William Downes of _HMS Hood_ and Wing Commander Crìsdean McAllen of the Royal Navy Air Force stationed aboard _Illustrious_." Gesturing to the middle-aged officer and younger one respectively.

Then the group turned to the woman, "Ah, it would be a good start to our relationship to introduce myself wouldn't it," she muttered, then she smiled, "Many names have been given to me over the years, a handful your universe has given me would be Hera, Christ and Odin, though why I was depicted as a man is beyond me, you may refer to me as Lady though."

Crìsdean chuckled, "Simple enough to remember," he murmured.

This brought a chuckle to everyone, then Erwin spoke up, "You said 'our universe', I take it to mean that there are others and we are in one such universe?"

Lady smirked, "Indeed Erwin, right now we are in what I call a blank universe, one that is completely devoid of life and distractions, useful for situations like this."

Seeing their interest, she continued, "Simply put, I need your help, one of my universes is spiralling out of control and I need to put it right, but because of the limitations placed on me, I cannot directly manipulate matters in a universe after the initial creation, that is where you and your crews come in."

Crìsdean caught on immediately, "Whereas you are unable to manipulate matters, you can send a proxy to the universe to correct the matter."

Lady was surprised, "I see your youth is not your only feature Mister McAllen, but you are correct."

Crìsdean smirked, "It's not just looks I have, there's a brain behind the face," he remarked.

Lady smiled, but Ernst interrupted, "So we are to be your proxy, what are we supposed to be doing?" he asked.

At this Lady frowned, "In this universe you will be going to, there is a man who goes by 'Prince Maximilian', he is trying to make himself a God amongst men, his empire would kill millions if allowed, much in the same way as your Hitler, except instead of being a religious following, the persecuted are a race of people called the Darcsen's."

Each of the British officers turned to each other, none of them had ever heard of persecution from Germany regarding a religion, but Lady continued, "I will be placing you within striking distance of a flotilla under his faction's control, they will be engaging a force from the Principality of Gallia, the group that you will be helping against the Empire, Maximilian's faction, engage and destroy it, cementing your opposition to the Empire."

They all nodded, but Erwin saw one flaw, "What about a cover story, after all, we'll be showing up with powerful weapons, and I doubt they'll accept a 'we helped out of the goodness of our hearts' story."

Lady nodded, "Agreed, state that you are from a region to the east of the Empire, and that you are refugees, former enemies turned allies in the face of complete destruction, you are what's left of a once proud people and ask for asylum. I have no doubt that you will receive it." Then she had a thought, "Oh if you could get rid of a man named Borg, he's a sleazeball who somehow obtained the Prime Minister seat and the regency for the Princess of Gallia, that would make your lives much easier."

Each of the officers looked at the other, then Lindemann spoke up, "So, we save a country, a race of people, and get rid of a corrupt politician, what then?"

Lady grew sad at this, "You will be unable to return to your own universe once I send you, so I'm afraid you're trapped there."

Erwin blinked, "What do you mean? Or are you only able to add to a universe, not take away."

Lady nodded, "Exactly Erwin, I cannot take people away, you just happened into a vortex where you would have all died, and I intervened since you were leaving that universe anyway."

Just then, it felt as though their bodies gained weight. Lady frowned, "We're running out of time, I will try to stay in contact with you at important junctions. There are two other people you need to save…" she said before fading away.

Before anyone could say anymore, they were waking up on their bridges. Concern emanated from the crew, "Report!" Lindemann ordered.

A nervous crewman did, "Some scrapes and bruises from the storm sir, but then we seem to have transported somewhere and an unknown ship opened fire on us, the red one sir."

Lindemann frowned, "Return fire! _Tirpitz_, close to point-blank range and let loose on their capital ship! Commander Williams, I suggest we close and return fire."

Audie agreed and began barking out orders to launch air groups. Downes then spoke, "_Hood_ will try to stay close, but our engine was damaged and we're not as heavily armoured."

Ernst nodded, "Understood Downes, leave the brawling to _Tirpitz_ and _Bismarck_," he replied.

Finally having a moment to take in his surroundings, Lindemann took stock of the enemy fleet. There was one capital ship about twice the size of the German Battleships, leading him to believe it was the enemy's flagship, and what looked to be a dozen small ships. The force they seemed to be concentrating on consisted of no more than a half a dozen light cruisers, most already burning, sinking or both.

Just then, an attack squadron of Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers with covering support from a dozen or so Supermarine Seafires fighters buzzed past them on an attack vector for the capital ship. Just then, the radio came to life, "McAllen here, so far, no air cover or Anti-Air fire from the ships, will maintain current objective and strafe them."

Closing to range, Lindemann could better make out the armament on the hostile ships, "They're using six-inch guns! They can't penetrate our armour!" he exclaimed.

"Well, all the better for us then," Downes remarked, "_Hood_ will remain back and guard your transports while laying down long-range fire, our engine's more damaged then we thought."

Lindemann acknowledged that before looking to the enemy again, "Fire at Will!" he ordered.

Affirmative responses came from all around him and suddenly both _Bismarck_ and _Tirpitz_ opened up with their 8 fifteen-inch guns each. A massive explosion rocked the waves at the shells racked the Imperial ship and two of its magazines detonated. Just then, shells came and blew two of the smaller ships out of the water. Lindemann looked back and could just see _Hood's_ barrels smoking and smiled. Just then, the planes dove and began executing strikes on the remaining enemy ships. They left no ship afloat.

* * *

Aboard the Gallia Flagship, the Light Cruiser _GRS Belgan Gunther_, the interim Commander of the Gallian fleet, Captain Erika gi Bruhl wiped her brow of sweat, barely an hour ago she had been informed of the Empire's Declaration of War against Gallia and that there was an enemy fleet led by the Imperial Super-Dreadnought _ISS Siegval_, a monster of a ship by any standard, bearing down on her position. Her superiors had made her orders very simple: stop that ship or sink trying.

She had gritted her teeth, knowing full well that there was nothing she could do for either situation. However, the appearance of four combat ships she had never seen before into the fray threw everyone for a loop, especially the Imperials, seeing as though their fleet was on the bottom of the sea. There was any number of nations those ships could have been from, but she had never expected those flying machines to attack and sink several ships on their own. When one of them turned towards her ship, the only one still afloat with any hope of functioning, she knew there was nothing she could do.

She had not expected what happened though, the pilot stood up and waved to her bridge before turning back for the flotilla. Just then, one of her remaining officers cried out, "Captain! The unknown ship is signalling us, 'Do not fire upon us, we are not hostile to you. We wish to come aboard your ship to discuss matters.'"

Erika took a moment to collect herself, she owed her very life to these people, but she also owed a great deal to Gallia, "Very well, let them know that they may come aboard."

* * *

It didn't take long until _Bismarck_ drew alongside the Belgan Gunther. Where Captain Lindemann and Commanders Williams and McAllen disembarked. Ernst brought his hand to his brow in a traditional salute, "Permission to come aboard, Captain?"

Captain gi Bruhl nodded, "Granted Captains. Welcome aboard the Gallian Royal Ship _Belgan Gunther_, I am Captain Erika gi Bruhl, and you are?"

Ernst took over, "I am Ernst Lindemann, formerly a Captain of the German Navy, the gentleman to my right is Audie Williams, former Captain of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and to my left is Crìsdean McAllen, former Wing Commander of the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Air Force."

Erika frowned, "I'm afraid we've never heard of either nation."

Lindemann nodded, "I expected as much, we come from lands to the far east of the East Europan Imperial Alliance, my nation and Commander William's were are war with each other until the Empire showed up at our doorstep, at which point, Germany and the United Kingdom banded together to try and stop the invaders, we failed. The people in those ships out there are all that's left of Germany while the United Kingdom was left with the forces in the two warships Hood and Illustrious. We've been sailing trying to stay out of the range of the Empire, but when they opened fire on us, we felt obligated to assist you."

Erika frowned, "But your weapons are so advanced," she exclaimed.

Crìsdean shrugged, "Weapons are no good with there are no people to use them, and it seems as if the Empire failed to see a lesson from our prototypes."

Just then, a pipe burst and began spraying Crìsdean with fluid. Several Gallian officers rushed to the pipe to stem the tide and Erika winced, "Sorry about that, the crew that isn't essential to the running of the ship are either running around, making repairs or in medical."

Ernst looked to his ship, "Hol dir jetzt die Schadensbegrenzungspartys hier rüber! Und stellen Sie sicher, dass sie Englisch verstehen!" he barked.

The officer nodded, "Jawohl, Mein Herr!" he replied before running into the bowels of Bismarck.

Erika looked at Ernst and he felt compelled to explain, "I just ordered our damage control parties to come over and assist you."

Erika was floored by the assistance they were willing to offer. Just then, another officer approached Commander Williams and whispered something in his ear, "Good, make sure they know that they're safe," he remarked before the officer nodded and left, "The other ship you saw, _HMS Hood_, is currently picking up survivors from your ships that are sinking or have sunk, they will be safe until we can get to a port to offload them, and we are taking care of the wounded."

Erika was grateful, but she also wasn't stupid. She hadn't advanced in the most restrictive branch of the Gallian military bar the Army by being unobservant. Turning back to Ernst, she asked the question on her mind, "And what's this help going to cost Gallia?"

Ernst shrugged, "Permission to settle in Gallian lands, the ability to become Gallian citizens, the resources for our military to operate alongside the Gallian forces. Those are our requests, but should Gallia reject us, we'll drop off your sailors before returning to the seas."

Erika grimaced, "Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to authorize those requests, but I can bring you before Princess Cordelia gi Randgriz, who can do so."

Ernst smiled and agreed to her terms, their plan seemed to be well underway, every German and British person that had been brought with them had been informed as to their cover story and had accepted it with ease. All seemed to be going their way, which meant everyone was on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop…

* * *

**_Surprise project! After playing a bit of the original Valkyria Chronicles, I looked up Fanfics for the series, and, after seeing the sparseness, decided to add to it. For those of you expecting the sequel to one of my other fics, I intend to publish the first chapter on August 25th._**

**_Please review, favourite/follow, it does help. If you join my discord server, you get to help with the writing process for this and many other fics, invite code: _****_BSdFMH3_**

**_Until next time._**


	2. Prologue: Part 2

Soon the officers were enroute to the capital of Randgriz, the Gallians were in the front, driving, whilst the Germans and the British were sitting in the back of the truck. Soon, natural curiosity got the better of the Brits, "So tell us, why did you two want to defect?"

Lindemann looked at Rommel, who just shrugged, "Well, it's a bit of a story, though we've got plenty of time."

Erwin nodded before starting, "After being defeated in Africa, Hitler assigned me to the Atlantic Wall, to stave off any allied attack. I had thought that I would be left to my own devices, but this proved to not be the case as the Führer began meddling and I found out his true goal. To destroy Jewish culture and the Jewish people."

Lindemann picked it up from there, "I too had discovered Hitler's plans to commit genocide and knew that the only way to save people, was to get them out of Germany, so we began covertly assembling ships and people to evacuate them from Germany and, we hoped, into British hands."

Erwin nodded, "From there, it took little to convince Hitler and high command to send us on a diversionary attack since we knew that you would eventually attack the mainland, even if there was disagreement on where it would be."

On Audie's raised eyebrow, Ernst explained, "High command, under orders and influence from Hitler, had believed that the invasion would land in Calais, while Erwin and most of the Navy believed that it would land in Normandy."

They didn't have any more time to discuss the matter as they reached Castle Randgriz and their escort opened the rear of the truck and gestured for them to exit. Once they had, they marvelled at the architecture on display and followed Captain gi Bruhl and one of her friends from the Gallian Militia to the Royal audience chambers where Duchess Cordelia gi Randgriz was waiting. "Welcome to my hall Honoured Guests, I understand that you assisted my Navy in defending our coast from the Imperial Super-Dreadnought. For that alone, you have my thanks," the Princess remarked before turning concerned, "I understand you have some requests of me, that I might be able to grant in light of your assistance."

Lindemann looked to the others, knowing at once that he was the unspoken spokesman for their group, so began, "Your Highness, I thank you for the audience. Our requests are small I assure you, simply permission to settle in Gallian lands, the ability to become Gallian citizens, and the resources for our military to operate alongside the Gallian forces against the Empire. I feel as though those wouldn't be too much to ask for, would they?"

Cordelia thought for a moment, "Our weaponsmasters would have to look at your arms to be able to resupply your ammunition. Tell me, what kind of fuel do your ships and planes use?"

"Petrol, and we also have tanks without the weaknesses of yours as they don't use Ragnite," he replied.

Cordelia thought for a moment before nodding her head, "I can grant you your requests, however, I am curious, my current regent is proving himself quite, err, shall we say, incompetent regarding matters of war. Perhaps some of you would be willing to assist me in forming a War Council to handle this?"

Each of the officers looked at each other, but Ernst spoke up, "What would the powers of this 'War Council' be, and which branches of the military would be represented?" he asked.

Cordelia stood up, walking over to them, "The Army, Militia, Navy and the brand new, as of your entrance to the hall, Air Force. I would like your forces to have representation on the council since you are currently not Gallian and certain members of my country look down upon that sort of thing," seeing agreement, with apprehension, she continued, "As for the powers of the council, they will have overall command over the war situation. I shall also be working with it to ensure that the people of Gallia will not suffer too much for victory."

Erwin nodded to Ernst before a Gallian officer barged in, "Forgive the intrusion Highness, but we just received word that several towns along the border have fallen, including Girlandio and the town of Bruhl!"

Princess Cordelia gasped, "How were they able to capture them so fast?" she exclaimed.

The officer shook his head, "Maximilian is centring his army around fast-moving tanks."

Erwin grimaced and Cordelia noticed, "Do you have a remark, sir?"

Erwin nodded, "My people call it __Blitzkrieg__ or Lightning War. The objective is to move so fast that you outpace your enemy and, for a time, it worked well for us, but once we lost control of the air, the war was all but lost."

Cordelia grimaced, "Then our work has just begun," she remarked before standing, "If you gentlemen will follow me."

* * *

Welkin Gunther had not been having the greatest of days thus far. Oh sure, it had started out fine, going home was always a good thing, even if it was because people were afraid of an Imperial invasion, but being arrested over a slight misunderstanding, he really needed to curb his enthusiasm towards drawing animals, started the downward trend of the day.

After seeing his hometown burned by the Imperials, he was thankful that he had managed to get Isara and his new friend Alica out of there, especially since Isara had surprised him with the Edelweiss, he didn't know that she was still working on it after she had asked about it all those years ago.

They had just stopped for the night and he had taken the first watch for the night, he figured they still had about another day or so of travel before they got to Randgriz, which meant he had about a half a day to try and talk Isara out of trying to sign up for the Militia. Suddenly, he heard leaves rustling. Spinning on the spot, Welkin brought the rifle up and turned to the noise just to see Alica standing there, "Phew, it's just you," he murmured in relief.

Alica winced, "Sorry, I couldn't sleep," she whispered before drawing up next to him, careful not to make too much noise so they wouldn't wake Isara, "I guess you'll be joining up with the Militia when we get to Randgriz, right?"

Welkin sighed, "More than likely," he muttered before he looked to the sky, "I really wanted to be my own man, but it seems like the Fates have another plan for me."

Somewhere in the Ether, Lady sneezed, knowing full well who was talking about her, but Welkin continued, "What about you? Do you expect to be drafted?"

Alica nodded, "I wish it didn't come to this, but since it has, I'll fight with every ounce of strength I have."

Welkin grew a small smile, "Who knows, perhaps we'll be assigned to the same squad," he remarked.

Alica gave him a soft smile in return and their eyes locked for a moment, a moment that neither one of them seemed willing to break, but they did, blushing like mad.

Soon though, the sun rose and they prepared to set off once more. Welkin looked back in the direction of Bruhl, the same determination setting in his heart as it had set in Alica's, he'd be back, one day…

* * *

****Gallia was no stranger to long odds, having secured her Independence from the Empire almost twenty years prior. With these new ships and these new technologies practically gift-wrapped by the Germans and British however, it wasn't going to be a question of numbers, rather the question on every commander's mind, from the lowest Sergeant to the Noble Generals, was if they could outsmart the Imperial Commanders. While the Generals of the Gallia Army were confident, perhaps overly so, it was the Gallian Militia who would prove to be the deciding factor in the coming war…****

****(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)****

* * *

_**Hello there, it's been a while, sorry about that. Between my other story and school, I've been busy. However, I've finished my other story and can now focus on this story.**_

_**Let's cover the reviews, shall we? Thank you all for your kind words and to the ones who noticed the similarities between my story and the other Valkyria Chronicles story: Iron Cross Alliance, there's a reason for that, after reading it, and seeing the last update was in 2015, I decided to go on my own take on the premise. I'm going to cover WarGlory's points in depth here, HMS Illustrious was guarded by more than HMS Hood, however, only Hood was brought through. The shock of everything hasn't quite yet worn off, so the whole meeting Lady and Rommel hasn't quite sunk in yet.**_

_**Until Next Time (I promise it won't be so long this time!)**_


	3. Episode I: Part 1

Welkin, Alicia, and Isara soon made it to Randgriz, the capital seemingly untouched by the raging war. Refugees lined the streets, some more shell-shocked then others. Welkin's mind wandered until Edelweiss suddenly stopped, "What is it Is?"

Isara poked her head out of her hatch, "We're at the Militia Headquarters," she replied, "I doubt they are just going to let us have a tank on our own and there's no way I'm letting anyone touch the Edelweiss."

Welkin sighed, try as he might, there was no budging her. Jumping down, he looked at her, "Well, stay here then, Alicia and I will head in and fill out the paperwork and you can keep an eye on the Edelweiss," he remarked, '_Though what paperwork you do to keep your tank is beyond me, hopefully, they'll have an answer,_' he thought.

Entering the building, a solitary woman sat behind a desk, eyes closed, but hunched over her desk, as if she had just had a long day. Welkin scrunched his face in thought, she looked familiar somehow.

Taking the initiative, Alicia spoke up, "Excuse me? Would you happen to know where we can sign up for the militia?"

The woman's eyes opened and Welkin quickly recognised her, and she recognised him, "Welkin?" she asked.

Welkin grew a small smile, "Hello Auntie Eleanor, sorry I couldn't come sooner."

Alicia looked between them, very confused, but Eleanor waved him off, "It's quite alright Welkin, just tell me you brought Isara back from Bruhl," she said and received a nod, "Good, I have need of you in Squad 7 of the 3rd regiment as it's Lieutenant," she remarked before looking to Alicia, "Who's your friend Welkin?"

Welkin gestured to her, "Auntie Eleanor, meet Alicia Melchiott, a former member of the Bruhl Town Watch, Alicia, meet Captain Eleanor Varrot, my Godmother."

Varrot smiled, "A pleasure Miss Melchiott," she said, before turning introspective, "I could use you in Squad 7 as well Miss Melchiott, I'm currently missing an armour element and a Sergeant, I think with your experience in the Town Watch, you'd fit well as the Sergeant."

Welkin and Alicia looked at each other, "About that, we just so happen to have a tank and an operator for it who won't let it out of her sight," Welkin remarked.

To Varrot's raised eyebrow, Welkin just gestured her to follow them outside. When they got out there, Varrot's expression turned comical as her eyebrows disappeared and her jaw went slack. When she finally regained her voice, her amazement was clear to hear, "I'd heard that Isara was asking about Edelweiss, but I thought she was too far gone to be repaired."

Almost as if on cue, Isara poked her head out of Edelweiss, "Not quite Auntie Ele, just needed a sufficiently determined person to repair her."

Varrot whipped her head to look at Isara with enough force that Welkin was worried that she had given herself whiplash. A myriad of emotions played on her face, but finally, resignation rested on it, "I'm guessing Welkin tried to talk you out of joining the Militia?" she asked, receiving a stony glare in return, "Alright, the three of you will take the Edelweiss to Fort Amatriain, Corporal Potter will show you to the barracks," she sighed, before looking back to Welkin, "Largo will be glad to see you, as am I."

Welkin gave Varrot a soft smile before mounting Edelweiss, Alicia hopped on as well. Varrot noted with some amusement as they drove off that she was sitting quite close to Welkin and he either didn't notice, which was very likely, or didn't care.

* * *

Upon their arrival at Fort Amatriain, they drew quite the crowd, Welkin tried his best to ignore the crowd as he looked around. Soon, he spied the gruff older man off in the distance, staring in surprise at the Edelweiss. Wading through the crowd, Welkin eventually made it to where Largo stood, "It's good to see you, Uncle Largo," he remarked.

Largo chuckled, "That was quite the entrance kid," he muttered before growing a large smile, "Ele called ahead, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask; there are thirty years worth of experience up here," he said, tapping his head, "Don't be afraid to use it."

Welkin nodded, "Thanks Uncle, I know I'm inexperienced even if I aced that one class all those years ago."

Largo nodded and patted his shoulder before looking back to the Edelweiss, "Who's the chick?" he asked.

Welkin turned, "The girl in the baker's uniform is Alicia Melchiott, she and I saved each other in Bruhl, I from an Imperial patrol, and her from an Imperial tank."

Largo snapped his head back to Welkin, "Wait, you guys faced a _TANK_ in Bruhl?"

Welkin grimaced, "Faced, battled, destroyed, wasn't much, probably a light tank."

Largo's look of amazement didn't falter, "Who was crewing her?"

Welkin winced, "I was in the Commander's hatch while Isara drove, made sure the gun was loaded, fired the gun, operated the radio, all while tending to Martha and delivering her baby."

Largo blinked once, twice, thrice before settling for a look of exasperation, "I'm guessing there's no way to convince her to not join the fight?" he asked.

Welkin scoffed, "No, there's no way to convince her, not without losing a limb or something."

Largo nodded, then clapped his hands, "All right!" he called, "That's enough crowding of our new people! Everyone! Disperse, except for Squad 7!"

Everyone was rather put out, but not wanting to tempt Corporal Potter, did as he ordered. It was then that Squad 7 drew up alongside Edelweiss, "Alright," Largo began, "On the tank, we have Sergeant Alicia Melchiott in the Baker's uniform!"

Waving to the others, Alicia recognised a face in the crowd but Largo continued, "Next to her, we have Corporal Isara Gunther! Tank Operator! She handled herself in Bruhl!" he called before levelling a glare at them, "Meaning I'm not taking any shit, if you start badmouthing her, you deal with me!"

Gripping a wrench lightly, Isara had this look of pure innocence on her face, but some of the more observant members of the squad could see her determination in her eyes. Moving along, Largo gripped the shoulder of Welkin, "And this here is Lieutenant Welkin Gunther! Yes, _that_ Gunther, he will be commanding our unit!" he called before looking to Welkin, "Want to say a few things?" he whispered.

Welkin nodded and stepped forward slightly, "I know I don't have the same experience as some of you," he began, gesturing to Largo, "Nor do I have the same abilities as my father, but I will do my utmost to keep Gallia safe while bringing as many people home as possible, preferably all of you."

Welkin looked over everyone, but before they could say anything, a new voice came from behind them, "Well said Lieutenant Gunther."

Turning around, Welkin and Largo saw two men in different uniforms to the standard militia one. They were blue, but one of the men had a brown cap that was fitted his head with goggles on them. The third man had a cap that was slightly wider than the dress cap for the militia and they recognised him to be in a Navy uniform. One of the men in the unknown uniforms spoke up, "War will inevitability have casualties, any commander worth his salt knows this, a good commander tries to accomplish his mission without taking poor and unnecessary risks."

The other man chuckled, "Also well said Crìsdean," he remarked before turning to the Gallians, "My name is Captain Wilhelm von Essen, former captain of the German navy, currently serving as Commander of the Gallian Royal Ship Tirpitz and advisor to Her Highness, Princess Cordelia on affairs of Navy," he said, before gesturing to his companion, "And this is Wing Commander Crìsdean McAllen, Commander of the new Gallian Royal Air Force."

The slight accent to both men gave away that they weren't from Gallia, but Welkin chose to handle that later, right now, he replied, "Captain, Commander," he greeted, "How might I help you?"

Crìsdean smirked, "Oh, nothing Lieutenant, we just thought we should tell you that we're assigning some of, if not our best units to work alongside Squad 7."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "What will this unit consist of?"

Again, Crìsdean just smiled, "One squadron of Seafire Fighter craft, a squadron of Barracuda strike planes and a unit of ground forces: the Second Armoured group, consisting of four armoured vehicles and forty infantry."

Now Welkin was even more intrigued, but before he could ask, everyone heard a slight rumbling and the ground shook a bit. Coming around the bend, four tanks that Welkin had never seen before, along with forty infantry, came out. They halted not far from where they were standing and an officer popped out of the hatch on the biggest tank. Jumping down, he turned to Captain von Essen, "Who is the commander, sir?"

Captain von Essen pointed at Welkin and the officer turned to him and gave a traditional salute rather than the one he had been giving for years now, "Sir! Oberleutnant Ekkehard Krauss reporting!"

Welkin blinked, having never heard of that rank before. Before he could ask, Captain von Essen spoke up, "He's a Lieutenant, Lieutenant Gunther," then he looked at Ekkehard, "Perhaps you could show off and explain the Panzers you have brought."

Ekkehard nodded and saluted Captain von Essen and Wing Commander McAllen. After they left, the entirety of Squad 7 approached and Ekkehard smiled, "Right, well, we've got a Jagdpanzer 38t, a light tank destroyer that has a 75mm gun," he remarked gesturing to it before smirking, "We affectionately call it the 'Hetzer', moving along, we have two Panzer IV, each armed with 75mm guns as well," he said.

Then he stepped in front of the tank he had been riding, "And this is the Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B .182 Tiger II, but because that is a mouthful, we call it the Königstiger or King Tiger, and it uses an 88mm gun."

Isara looked closely at each other the tanks, her mechanical eye taking in things she could use in upgrading Edelweiss before she noticed something, "Where are your Ragnite Radiators?" she asked.

Ekkehard raised an eyebrow, "We don't use Ragnite, we use Petrol, much easier for us to use back home and not as scarce as Ragnite," he remarked before looking at the Edelweiss, "Hmm, might I ask why you are using an 82mm gun, we've found that the 88 performs better."

Isara raised an eyebrow, "I never thought about, I had restored the Edelweiss by myself so I wasn't really concerned about her power, rather I was concerned about her not exploding on first use."

Welkin snapped his head to look at her, "Isara!" he shouted.

Isara just smiled and looked at Welkin, "What? Edelweiss didn't explode when I did some tests on her a couple of weeks ago, so I knew everything would be fine."

Ekkehard chuckled, but before they could say anything, a Gallian Officer walked up, "Apologies for the interruption," he said, even if he didn't look sorry, "Captain Varrot requests the presence of Oberluetnant Krauss and Lieutenant Gunther for operational briefing."

Welkin and Ekkehard looked at each other and shrugged, but followed the Officer to the Captain…

* * *

_**Chapter Three up! Feels fitting that after five months of no updates, you get one in five days.**_

_**Right, there was a review, but it and my response was so long that I'm not going to cover it here, but suffice it to say, that it brought up several good points and I am keeping it in mind.**_

_**Until Next Time.**_


	4. Episode I: Part 2

Welkin and Ekkehard soon entered the room where Captain Varrot and Crìsdean were standing over a map. Welkin recognised it to be the town of Vasel and that Crìsdean was staring quite intently at it. Looking around the room, Welkin smiled, "Faldio! I didn't know you signed up!" he exclaimed.

Faldio smirked, "Of course I did, now that there's a war on, everyone is needed to defend our homes."

Ekkehard raised an eyebrow, "You two know each other?" he asked.

Welkin nodded, "Yes, we went to class together in university."

Faldio grinned, "Welkin majors in Biology and I major in History," he remarked before lightly punching Welkin's shoulder, "Now look at us, no bugs or books."

Just then, Varrot waved them over, "Gentlemen, this is Wing Commander Crìsdean McAllen of the new Gallian Air Force, we have our first operation: retake The Great Vasel Bridge."

Varrot didn't get any farther as the door on the other side swung open and a short, squat man walked through, "Just how long were you planning on hiding in here Varrot?"

Varrot grimaced ever so slightly that no one other then Welkin, by virtue of having known her for years, caught it, "My apologies General, we'll be out of your way in a moment."

Ekkehard raised an eyebrow, but the General spoke again, "Whatever, they're just country mice, not like they're going to be of any help."

This was a shock to Ekkehard, but Varrot bit back in what Welkin would recognise as her usual sass, "Perhaps more help then your army who were supposed to hold the bridge," she remarked much to the General's indignation, "Regardless, the Militia will recapture Vasel Bridge."

"Well, see that you do," he stuttered before leaving the room.

Ekkehard couldn't help what came out of his mouth next, "Pompöses Arschloch," he muttered.

"Oberluetnant!" came the bark from behind him, as Erwin Rommel appeared "Obwohl ich Ihrer Meinung zustimme, empfehle ich Ihnen, ein Schloss um ihn herum zu halten."

Sufficiently chastised, and with the others very confused, Ekkehard snapped to attention, "Marshal Rommel, Sir!" he greeted.

Rommel nodded before turning to Varrot, "The Oberluentnant will be assigned to Squad 7 for the duration of the war, my own forces will also be joining you for this attack."

Varrot nodded, grateful for the help, as she clearly didn't expect any from the Army. It didn't take long before Erwin had familiarised himself with the terrain of Vasel and Varrot began her briefing, "We'll begin our attack of the western bridgehead at 0800 tomorrow," she began, "Lieutenant Gunther, I want you to attack from the Vasel Library towards the bridgehead, the Imperials will be fortified heavily, I recommend a Hammer and Anvil tactic using the Riverfront as an avenue."

Welkin nodded before looking at the map, a plan already forming in his head. Varrot continued for a moment, "We'll have Air Support as well. If there's a position that's too fortified to assault, call in an airstrike," she remarked before nodded, "Good luck everyone, I'll be on the field with Squad 1."

With that, everyone filtered out to their units, except for Welkin and Ekkehard. "What is it, Lieutenant?" Ekkehard asked.

Welkin gestured to the map, "I'd like to deploy most of your forces with the Library force, with you and your King Tiger joining me on the Riverfront."

Ekkehard rubbed his chin, "We'll need a decently sized infantry force to support our tanks, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Welkin nodded, "Of course, we'll assign most of our infantry to the Library force and have a small good force with us on the Riverfront," he replied before looking up, "Vasel is about a half a day's march from here, we'll have to move out in an hour to make time."

Ekkehard nodded before turning, "You better find out all you can about your troops, it could save your life."

Welkin turned to ask Ekkehard what he meant but discovered that he had already left. Shrugging to himself, he left the room and changed into the militia uniform before discovering a collection of Dossiers on his squad. Picking it up, he decided to read it on the way to Vasel in Edelweiss and exited his new office to see his squad gathered around Edelweiss, "Squad 7! we have new orders!" he began.

"Finally!" one of the shocktroopers muttered before one of the others whispered, "Quiet Rosie!"

Welkin ignored the byplay and continued, "We are to retake the town of Vasel and most importantly, The Great Vasel Bridge!" he elaborated before straightening up, "Squad 7! Prepare to move out!"

Taking their dismissal, the squad split up to gather supplies and belongings for the trip. The only people who didn't were Alicia, Isara and Largo, who had his kit already on Edelweiss. It was then that they noticed the folder in his hand, "Whatcha got there Welkin?" Alicia asked.

Welkin raised the folder, "The Dossiers on the squad, thought I could read it on our way up to Vasel since the attack will begin at 0800 tomorrow," he mentioned.

Largo grunted, "Eh, not a bad idea Welkin, just be careful, those Dossiers don't always tell the whole story."

Welkin nodded, "I intend to, though I did recognise a few faces, there was one person I remembered seeing in Bruhl the other day, was she a part of the Town Watch Alicia?"

Alicia nodded and smiled, "Yes, Susie Evans and I served together in the Watch, we were even childhood friends."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How'd she do?"

Alicia winced "Er, well, she has her heart in the right place."

Welkin and Largo shared a look of disbelief, but Welkin pushed on, "What do you mean?"

Alicia looked down and didn't say anything, prompting Welkin to say something, "I meant what I said earlier and if there's something I need to know to make sure that Susie comes home, I need it today as the squad isn't large and I need everyone in the best positions."

Finally, Alicia looked up, "She tended to faint when we were in briefings, though she was just fine when we were in battle," she whispered.

Welkin turned pensive before turning to Largo, "Would it be possible for you to keep an eye on her during the battle? I'd like to feel comfortable with sending her out."

Largo thought for a moment, "Give me some more information on the battle before we go out and I'm sure I'll be able to do that," he mentioned, gesturing to Alicia, "Since I'm assuming that you will take Edelweiss and your new friend on your flank."

Welkin nodded and leaned against Edelweiss, "One of those Germans was in the briefing, came in after Damon left and said something to Ekkehard before saying that he would be on the field, making Auntie Eleanor relieved for whatever reason, though he did say that his unit would be there too."

Largo grunted, "Hope it's for more then just show, if Ele was relieved then we can count out any help from the Army."

Isara thought for a moment, "Welks? Is there anything else that we're getting?" she asked, prompting Welkin to raise an eyebrow, "Well, if they have those tanks that don't have the weakness that ours do, what else do they have?"

Welkin nodded before remembering something that was mentioned in the briefing, "She did mention that we'd have 'air support', whatever that means."

Isara's eyes brightened, she was quite the air enthusiast and couldn't wait to see these planes in action. Little did she know just how close and personal she would get…

* * *

Soon the squad was on the march and Welkin sat in Edelweiss reading his papers. It was an interesting crew he had; Alicia, due to her previous experience as a team leader in the Bruhl Town Watch, had been made Sergeant and his Second-in-Command, taking charge of the Scouts and Snipers directly. Largo was a corporal and Welkin remembered that he had pissed off some high-rank official, Borg if he remembered correctly, at the same time as Auntie Eleanor, hence why both of them had been passed over for promotions. Thankfully, they had recognised that he was skilled and had placed him in charge of the squad's Lancers. That then brought him to the last of his command staff, excluding Isara, one Lance Corporal Brigitte "Rosie" Stark, the leader of the Shocktroopers. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her; on the one hand, she was very good at what she did, having been a member of the Ghirlandaio Town Watch, on the other, her record showed numerous occasions where she got into altercations with the Darcsens, not only of Squad 7, of which there was only Is and one other, but also of the general population.

Welkin sighed, he knew he'd have to keep an eye on her, though he was sure that Largo was as well. However, he turned his attention to the rest of the squad. He had three scouts, Susie Evans, Alicia's friend, her dossier was similar to what Alicia had said, she often fainted during briefings, but it was also noted that she was fiercely protective of the downtrodden, most notably the Darcsens and the children. Then there was Noce Wordsworth, it was noted that he had a slight issue with authority, but Welkin hoped that it wouldn't be too bad. Finally, there was Juno Coren, an old classmate of Welkin's, so he didn't really need the dossier. He knew that she would give anything she put her mind to her best and then some.

After reading that, he looked at his Sniper's dossier, one Catherine O'Hara. Hailing from Gallia's western shore, it was said that she was a crack shot, owing to her father's insistence that she uphold her families' Celtic heritage.

Knowing that the Celts were fierce warrior-hunters, he felt at ease knowing who had their backs, and so turned his attention to the Lancers, their Anti-Tank unit. Audrey Heitinga was the first one he saw, and there wasn't much on her, just that her strength was hidden behind her "dainty" form, then there was Elysse Moore. Welkin just knew from the name that this would be interesting as he recalled that there was a Moore who served as a fencing instructor to nobles, whatever use _that_ was. However, he was surprised that the enlistment note in her file was that her father thought it would be a good way for her to build up her physic. He at least hoped that she would have a bit more respect for what they were doing or he could see trouble in the future.

Sighing, he turned to the resident engineer that supplemented Isara, though whereas she dealt solely with the Edelweiss, Karl Landzaat primarily dealt with fieldwork and resupplying the front-line troops.

After what seemed like ages, he finally got to the final dossiers. That these were the Shocktroopers bore no bearing in his mind, but he took note of their names, Hannes Salinger, Lynn, Coby Caird, and Edy Nelson.

With that task finally out of the way, Welkin stood, his back and legs sounding like a cord of dry firewood snapping. Isara look back at him in concern, but he waved it off, "I'm fine, just in one position for too long," he said before looking around, "How much further do we still have to go?" he asked.

Isara looked at the map she had next to her, "Probably about another hour or two," she replied before looking ahead, "Would have been faster if the Army had lent us a truck or two," she muttered.

Welkin sighed, "I know, but you know how they are."

Isara for her part didn't push any further, she knew Welkin wasn't to blame if anything, he deserved some praise for speeding up the advance by having their foot troops sit on the tanks, didn't mean that she didn't assign some anger towards the Army.

* * *

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, so at 0800 the next day, the attack began. Welkin deployed most of the combined force near the library, leaving himself, Lynn, Alicia, Ekkehard and Susie to assault the Riverfront. However, it wasn't going well for anyone.

"Gah! We're pinned down!" Largo shouted, "Sniper, clear us a path if you've got enough bullets!"

Catherine grimaced, "Should do!" she replied before felling an Imperial approaching them from their back, "But do me a favour and watch your six!"

Largo spun around and saw what she meant, "Noted!" he sent back before fiddling with his radio, "Welkin! We're pinned! How's the hammer?"

The multitude of shots ringing in his radio answered before Welkin could, "Not good! Ekkehard sent the call for Air Support but they'll be a few minutes!" he replied. Largo could hear something, "I see them, Alicia, take cover! Isara! Load the HE! Clear a path!"

Largo sighed before ducking behind a sandbag, "Hammer stalled! We're on our own for the moment!" he shouted.

Rosie grimaced biting remark on her tongue, but before she could say anything, an odd sound filled the air, "The hell is that?" Largo exclaimed.

One of the Germans next to him looked up, then got excited "Luftwaffe. Die gesprengte Luftwaffe ist da!"

Largo looked at the guy in exasperation, but before he could complain, his radio crackled to life, "This is Squadron Leader Joseph Hernandez of the Gallian Royal Air Force. Sorry, we're late."

A single Seafire fighter shot across the sky, unloading it's dual 20mm cannons and quad .303 machine guns into the enemy, causing the Imperials to fall dead rapidly. The fighter then banked to the eastern bank, firing its 8 rockets unto several tanks that were attempting to cross the Vasel Bridge to support their comrades. Some of the remaining tanks caught onto what was going on and opened fire on the fighter with their main cannons.

As a veteran of the Battle of Britain, Joseph smirked, dodging the tank shells was child's play. One stray shell from a tank impacted the building they were meant to capture, by no one paid it any mind. At long last, the Imperials began a retreat across the bridge that would see the rest of Joseph's squadron tear them apart, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Welkin looked up from Edelweiss; relief, sweat and grime smudged his face. As he looked around, he saw Isara staring in wonder at the planes. Amused, he also noticed that of the group with him, only Alicia wasn't dirty, by some magic. Shaking his head, he leapt down from the Commander's hatch, "Well, better go report in," he remarked.

It would only be later that he would realise just how fateful that moment had been…

* * *

_**Right Chapter 4 down, I'm running through these like no tomorrow.**_

_**Right, reviews, thank you guest for your kind words. GJO1088, don't worry, Rosie will face real consequences for her choices, I hope you like how I explained the rank thing.**_

**_Translations_**_**: Pompöses Arschloch (Pompous Arsehole)**_

_**Obwohl ich Ihrer Meinung zustimme, empfehle ich Ihnen, ein Schloss um ihn herum zu halten. (Although I agree with your opinion, I recommend that you keep a lock around him)**_

_**Luftwaffe. Die ****gesprengte**** Luftwaffe ist da! (Air Force! The bloody Air Force is here!)**_

_**Until Next Time!**_


	5. Episode I: Part 3

It didn't take long before Welkin arrived at Varrot's command tent, Ekkehard was keeping an eye on things for him so he'd brief him later. Walking into the tent, he gave a nod to her and Rommel, both looking exhausted and annoyed. It didn't take long for the rest of the Militia officers to arrive, all of them were in a similar state to himself; dirty, bruised, walking wounded, or a combination of all three. After a moment, Varrot stood, "Well done capturing this side of the bridge. Now comes the difficult bit, taking the fight to the enemy in Operation Cloudburst."

Faldio looked at her, "Captain, what kind of support can we expect from the Army on this?"

This time, Varrot did nothing to hide her grimace, but it was Rommel who spoke up, "The Army's plan is to begin their attack only after the Militia has engaged the enemy head-on."

Welkin blinked, he knew the Regular Army looked down on the Militia, but to throw away so many lives for such a petty matter. Faldio actually voiced his outrage, "So the Army will only attack when the Militia has destroyed itself upon the enemy? Offering our heads as a sacrifice to the Empire?"

Erwin nodded, but before Faldio could express his frustration, Erwin continued, "Which is why we are throwing that plan into the river and coming up with our own," he said. He then looked around, "So, any ideas?"

Welkin tentatively nodded, "Actually yes, I think I do."

Erwin gave a gentle smile, "Well, let's hear it son."

Welkin walked over to a map of Vasel, "I noticed that there was some Mistlereed growing in the river at this point, denoting a shallow point by which we can cross."

Varrot frowned and Rommel quirked an eyebrow, the plan sounding familiar to one he had heard years ago, but Varrot interrupted, "Even if you could do that, you'd be out-gunned, seeing as though Edelweiss wouldn't be able to follow."

Welkin allowed a small smirk to cross his face and Faldio groaned, "Oh no, this is either going to be a brilliant idea or a stupid one."

Welkin snorted, "Oh ye have little faith, besides, I got us out last time," he replied.

Faldio rolled his eyes, "Sure after you alerted a half a dozen dogs to our presence, I'm surprised I got out of there in one piece."

Varrot cleared her throat, "Gentlemen? Focus please, and we'll talk later Welkin."

Welkin nodded and hurried through his explanation, "Isara's been busy water-proofing Edelweiss ever since she found it, primarily for the rain, but with some modifications, I'm sure we can ford the river in Edelweiss."

Erwin rubbed his chin, "If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid," he muttered before looking at Welkin, "It's crazy, but it might be crazy enough to work. Set to it, Lieutenant."

Dismissing everyone else, Varrot was about to ask Welkin what Faldio was talking about when Alicia burst into the tent, "Welkin!" she called.

Varrot raised an eyebrow, "Sergeant Melchiott? What is it?"

Alicia blinked, "Oh! Sorry for interrupting…"

Rommel shrugged, "We just finished, now, what is the matter?" he asked.

Alicia straightened her back slightly so they wouldn't see just how out of breath she was, why Captain Varrot's tent had to be on the other side of the camp, she had no idea, "Lance Corporal Stark is getting into it with the Germans and Corporal Gunther, it's getting bad sir," she replied before adding in, "And that was before the Squadron Leader got involved, please, we need some help!"

Welkin looked to Rommel, who was very concerned, "Lead us to them, Alicia," he ordered.

Rommel and Welkin rushed out of the tent, barely dodging Faldio coming back in. Rushing to the riverbed, they soon saw quite the sight. Largo held Rosie in a body lock, though she was struggling to get out, while a man that Welkin didn't recognise was being held back by Ekkehard, though that seemed to be only a half-hearted attempt. All while this was happening, Isara was standing behind the unknown man, looking a little shaken.

Oddly, nobody noticed the three of them running up, so Erwin did the only thing he knew was guaranteed to get people's attention, he drew his service pistol, pointed it towards the east bank of the river, and fired.

After everyone jumped, almost causing Largo to lose his grip on Rosie, Erwin spoke, "Just what the hell is going on here!"

The unknown man spoke up, "General, I will accept full responsibility for my actions, but I will not apologise for defending the persecuted against bigots," he said, before turning to face Rommel head-on, "I faced enough of that back home to fill all of our ships."

Rommel sighed, "Commander Hernandez, I agree with you, however, we need the full story before we can do anything."

Welkin nodded and they both turned to Rosie, who didn't disappoint, "I ain't about to work with any dark hairs or any of their supporters. All they do is cause trouble for the rest of us."

Largo tightened his grip, "Watch yourself, Rosie, that man saved our arses not even an hour ago."

Rosie snarled, clearly not happy, but before it could devolve any further, Welkin spoke up, "Enough!" he barked, catching everyone's attention, "I will not have infighting in this squad. Lance Corporal Stark, as much as you are the ranking Shocktrooper, you are not irreplaceable, whereas I'd have to look very hard to find anyone who would be able to drive the Edelweiss, not least of which because Isara is very protective of her father's tank."

Everyone blinked, even Alicia and Rommel; gone was the mild-mannered Welkin with an eye for nature, and in his place was Lieutenant Gunther who was fiercely protective of his baby sister. And he wasn't close to done yet, "If it wasn't for the fact that we need that bridgehead taken in the next forty-eight hours, I'd send you to Captain Varrot for disciplinary actions, as is, you're stuck with me."

Rommel nodded, recovered from his surprise at the sudden and dramatic turn Welkin took, he had thought that Welkin didn't have it in him to be as strict as they needed him to be, "Though I am the ranking officer here, I am leaving the matter in Lieutenant Gunther's hands, though I ask that you be quick, we still need to prepare for the assault."

Welkin nodded and thought for a moment before an idea came to mind, "Upon our return to Randgriz, you will be assigned latrine duty for fourteen days, these days shall be counted only when the squad is in Randgriz. After which point, Captain Varrot will determine if that is sufficient."

Largo released Rosie, who stormed off and the crowd dispersed, leaving Rommel, Welkin, Alicia, Largo, Ekkehard, Isara and Hernandez. Welkin wasn't a fan of how close Isara was to him, but considering the circumstances, was willing to let it slide for the moment, more pressing on his mind was getting to Isara to see how she was holding up. Hernandez beat him to the punch though, "Corporal, how's your arm? She looked to have it in a hard grip."

Isara winced, "I'll be fine, it's not the worst thing that could have happened to me."

Joseph frowned, "I had heard from the Commanders that things would be bad, I just didn't think it was this bad." he muttered.

Sighing, Rommel shook his head, "We didn't either," he replied before looking at him carefully, "Now we saw what you did, Command is confirming your kills for that sortie to be six Armoured Vehicles, twenty Infantry, and four officers. Why the hell are you taking orders? You seem to be our best pilot!" he asked.

Joseph blinked, "How in the world did I get four officer kills?"

Rommel shrugged, "That tank shell that hit the building that was shot at you, it killed those officers so Command credited you with the kills."

Joseph shrugged before looking towards the east bank, but it was Ekkehard who spoke, "So, how does General Feather-for-Hat want the Militia to die for his personal glory?"

Rommel smirked, "Well since there's a Field Marshal on the field, we don't have to listen to that git."

Ekkehard bent forward, "Oh thank God," he muttered, "After sitting through his rambling in Randgriz I was worried that he would try to outdo some of your old commanders."

Rommel sighed, but didn't elaborate for the Gallians, choosing instead to focus on the plan, "Lieutenant Gunther came up with an ingenious plan, depending on whether Edelweiss could be made completely water-tight."

With the last part having been directed at her, Isara nodded, "With a few hours it could be done, why?"

Welkin smirked, "We're going to ford the river with Edelweiss driving through it."

Largo jerked back, "Now hold on, ships come through here. How's a tank going to make it?"

Welkin pointed to a point that was slightly upstream, "See over there, that's Mistlereed growing, an aquatic grass that only grows in shallow water, meaning that we can easily ford it there."

Largo looked at the spot Welkin was pointing then rubbed his chin, "You know, the fog is rather heavy around here in the early morning, we could begin our attack then and the Imperials probably wouldn't know what hit them."

Welkin nodded before turning to Rommel, "If the Imperials could be distracted, either by air, land, or sea, it would be a great help."

Rommel nodded, but Ekkehard spoke up, "Why do we need to capture the bridge? Why not have _Bismarck_ or _Tirpitz _rain shells on the bridge?"

Rommel placed his hands behind his back, "Because, Oberluetnant, this bridge is one of a handful of points in which we can cross this river unless we go around which would require leaving Gallia to do so."

Welkin nodded, "Not only that, but the bridge is designed for a situation where several thousand tons of tanks could sit on the bridge, and it would still lift. It's rather impervious to damage, you saw how direct hits to the road on the bridge from those rockets did little more than scatter a few bricks."

Erwin nodded, "Agreed, we'd probably have to ram the bridge with one of the battleships to cause significant damage to it, and we'd probably damage the ship severely in the process."

Ekkehard raised his hands, "Okay, Okay, so damaging the bridge is a stupid idea, just means the Imps will dig in as they are expecting an attack," he relented.

Joseph sighed, "And with the fog, air support is out of the question as well, don't want to take the chances of unfriendly friendly fire."

Rommel studied the pilot in front of him, "Hernandez, how's your ground combat ability?" he asked.

Joseph frowned, "Fair, not on the levels of the Commandos, but on par with the average ground-pounder, why?"

Erwin smirked, "Because I want you involved in this attack, not only because of you previous skill but also because this attack is a matter of all hands on deck since neither Captain Varrot nor I am expecting any help from the Gallian Army."

With that, they set to work. Rommel took Ekkehard and his forces to the bridgehead, the idea being that the Imperials would be expecting a large assault, so massing their forces at the bridgehead would keep their eyes on them, not on Squad 7. Meanwhile, Joseph and Isara began making modifications to the Edelweiss, though a pilot, Joseph was quite skilled with mechanics in general and soon Welkin would check on them only to find that they were working so well together that after a mere hour, they were nearly done. Welkin wasn't quite sure how he felt about how close Joseph was getting to Isara, but as far as he could tell, so far he was being a complete gentleman. It also helped that he seemed to be completely oblivious to the looks Isara was giving him so that was going a long way to easing his concerns.

Alicia chuckled in amusement from where she was standing, she could clearly tell that Welkin was having a hard time reconciling the fact that his baby sister was growing up, and falling for Joseph.

Alicia turned her attention to said pilot, currently being held upside-down by his feet by Largo to work on Edelweiss' engine. He was a unique one, that much she gathered from when he defended Isara from Rosie. While she could tell that he was oblivious to the looks that Isara gave him, she was also certain that Isara didn't see the looks he was giving her, largely due to timing. However, she could tell that Isara noted the looks many of the other girls of the squad were giving Joseph and that she wasn't happy.

However, night soon fell and midnight came. Welkin, Alicia and Largo were studying the map of Vasel, making the final preparations for the attack in the early morning when Captain Varrot walked in, "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a situation that requires the Lieutenant's presence."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "May I ask what this situation is Captain?"

Varrot sighed, "Commander Hernandez found Corporal Gunther away from camp, shaken and non-responsive to questions," she replied.

Varrot didn't get a chance to continue as Alicia, Largo and Welkin hurried to join her. Running across the camp, they came upon Isara, with Joseph and a few other guards keeping their distance. At Welkin's raised eyebrow, Joseph spoke, "She gets shaky when any of us approach any closer, so we're keeping our distance and trying to show her that we're not a threat."

Just hearing that notched his worry up through the roof. What made it worse was that it was the same for Largo and him, Isara grew as shaky as a leaf on the wind if they approached. Alicia thought for a moment before slowly approaching. Much to the surprise of everyone, Isara didn't react at all until Alicia was right next to her, to which her reaction was to leap into her arms and let out quiet sobs.

Alicia, slightly surprised at Isara's reaction, gently rubbed her back and cradled her as she would the young children at the orphanage. However, soon her sobs subsided as Isara fell asleep, "I don't think she can go on the mission tomorrow Welkin," she remarked.

Welkin shook his head, "I don't think so either Alicia," he sighed before looking to Joseph, "Think you've got enough of an understanding of how Edelweiss works to operate her?"

Joseph nodded, "Isara gave me a basic rundown of what I need to know," he whispered before looking at Isara, "Someone should stay with her tomorrow," he remarked.

Welkin nodded, but before he could say anything, Varrot spoke up, "I'll stay with her," she decided. When everyone looked at her, she continued, "I'll keep my radio nearby, but I trust General Rommel to keep everyone alive while I take care of my Goddaughter."

No one had any objections, especially since Varrot outranked them and so Alicia carried Isara over to Varrot's tent. Alicia hesitated for a moment. Varrot, seeing that Alicia had a concern, spoke, "What is it Miss Melchiott?"

Alicia lowered her eyes for a moment, "I'm just worried about what happened Captain, and if it was really that bad then I worry about what Welkin's reaction will be."

Varrot sighed, "Alicia, I need you to promise me something," she said.

Surprised that the Captain used her given name, Alicia snapped her head to look at her, "Anything Captain."

Varrot's eyes grew pleading, and Alicia saw something that she often saw with new children at the orphanage: fear, "Promise me that if Welkin, or Largo for that matter, start to be unable to cope, that you'll take the reins of the squad," she begged, "Gallia is depending on us, and a single decision made in grief can ruin us."

Alicia didn't trust her voice to work after that request had been laid out. It was a serious matter, one that Alicia feared could be around the corner. Deciding to simply nod, Varrot sighed in relief, "Thank you, Alicia," she began before looking to the side, "I wouldn't normally say this, but I trust you to look out for my godson and goddaughter more then I trust myself," she remarked, eliciting a small gasp from Alicia, "I know I wasn't there for him when he needed it most, when his mother or when his father died, so I know I failed, but he trusts you, perhaps likes you more than a friend, but please, take care of the boy I consider to be a son."

Alicia made note of the Captain's observations and finally spoke, "I will Captain. I swear it."

Making her way back to where Squad 7 was camped, she ignored people's questions and settled in for a few hours of sleep.

* * *

Early that morning, 0500 to be precise, Squad 7 was roused from their slumber and preparations were put into place to ford the river. Some of the squad clearly thought that Welkin had gone off the deep end, but were wise enough not to say anything, especially around Alicia, unlike Rosie, who have noted Isara's absence and tried to prove her point. However, she was silenced when Joseph climbed into Edelweiss and fired up the engine, not interested in what she had to say.

At 0530, Edelweiss rolled into the river. Welkin had estimated that it would take about ten minutes to cross and had ordered the rest of the squad to begin their crossing after five minutes had passed.

* * *

On the other side of the river, a pair of Imperial scouts patrolled their side of the bank, "Bloody hell," one of them murmured, "Who'd we piss off to be assigned to this?"

The other one shrugged, "Don't know, but it could be worst, we could be assigned to the bridgehead, I hear the Commander is keeping everyone up, expecting a massed Gallian attack with whatever those things are."

The first scout shook his head, "I don't get it, a week ago we were running across this insignificant patch of ground as fast as we could, now the Gallians are not just fighting back, but beating us with weapons we've never seen before. How is this possible?"

The other one shrugged, but ended the conversation with: "If the Gallians can somehow push us back to where we started on their own, perhaps the Empire shouldn't ever try again to invade them."

Inside the Edelweiss, under the river, Joseph ploughed onwards, silently glaring forwards. Welkin was also silent, but his mind was remembering a moment from his youth in vivid detail…

* * *

_Welkin sat by his father's bedside, it was sobering seeing him like this. A few weeks earlier, he had been called away to the nearby border with the Empire. A skirmish had broken out, but he hadn't been wounded, much to the relief of the thirteen-year-old Welkin and the seven-year-old Isara. Then he became very sick. While the doctor wouldn't tell him what was wrong, Welkin could tell that he was losing his father, the looks that the doctor was giving him was telling enough. That was what had led him here, he had to talk to his dad, even if it was the last time._

_It had taken a bit to distract Isara long enough, but eventually, she left them once Welkin bargained with her that he would play with her later. His father spoke up, "Thank you, son, I really didn't want Is to see me in this state," he said, before looking at the sheets for a moment, "I didn't want you to see me like this either, but that can't be helped."_

_Welkin took his father's hand and gave him a weak smile, "It's bad isn't it?" he asked._

_Belgan sighed, his son could be quite perceptive when he chose to be, "I'm sorry son, there's no cure. Doc gives me another week at best."_

_Welkin couldn't stop the tears from falling, but his father drew his attention once again, "Welkin when I am gone, promise me that you'll protect Isara. People will look down on her because she is a Darcsen, they'll think that they can get away with hurting her, or worst."_

_Welkin looked at his father, seeing for perhaps the second time in his entire life his father cry. However, it was the fear in his eyes that would haunt him for years to come, "I will dad."_

* * *

Now Welkin wondered if he was strong enough to fulfil that promise he made all those years ago. As Edelweiss began it's ascent to the bank, a single thought crept into his mind, "Perhaps Joseph will help."

Welkin blinked, surprised at his mind for that thought. However, he didn't have a moment to analyse it as Edelweiss broke the surface of the river and drove off the two scouts who happened to be patrolling around that area. Joseph swung the turret and carefully fired short bursts from the machine gun and put them down.

Welkin popped out of his hatch, the rest of the squad just landing their boats, some had disbelief on their faces but Welkin ignored that, "All right Sevens!" he called, "The Imperials won't take long to catch unto our ruse, we need to exploit the element of surprise while we still have it! Squad Seven! Move out!"

The squad began to move out, Alicia and Edelweiss taking Susie, Juno, Elysse and Coby right along the road, straight towards the bridge, Largo and Rosie taking Noce, Edy, Hannaes, Audrey and Lynn further into the town, towards the enemy camp. Karl and Catherine found a suitable sniper's nest and began bringing down any officer that crossed their sights.

It soon became apparent that not only was the Empire not expecting an attack from that angle but that Squad 7 still had teething troubles. "Wordsworth!" Largo shouted, "Get back here!"

Noce, however, wasn't listening, he was too far ahead to hear Largo, not that he would have listened if he had anyway. Noce had served in the Bruhl Town Watch but hadn't been near the east gate that fateful day, now though, he was eager to prove himself. There was only one thing on his mind, his infatuation with Alicia, and her blatant blindness to him. So engrossed in his own thoughts, he never heard the roar of an engine, nor feel the rumbling of the ground. It was only when a bright blue glow surrounded him that he drew himself out of his fantasy world and saw the mortar round barrelling towards him. With no time to move, his last thoughts were of anger, not towards the rightful bearer of that anger, but towards Welkin.

* * *

Near the river, the object of that misguided anger smashed through a wall with Edelweiss, the Imperials never stood a chance. Welkin looked at the bridge, "Alicia! Raise the bridge! Let's see how the Imperials like the water!"

Alicia smirked, "Thought you'd never ask," she replied before flicking a switch.

Welkin watched as the Imperials on the bridge began to panic as the bridge began to shake before rising up. Welkin couldn't hide the smirk as we watched various soldiers and tanks fall into the river. Picking up his radio, he made the call, "Command, this is Lieutenant Gunther of Squad Seven! The bridge is under our control. Repeat, the Great Vasel Bridge is under our control!"

"Understood Lieutenant Gunther, we'll deploy reinforcements to you as soon as the bridge is down. Panzertruppe! Forwards!" Rommel ordered.

Alicia soon clambered up to speak with him, "Bridge is on its way down."

Welkin nodded, "Good, the Germans are deploying the tanks as soon as the bridge lowers enough," he remarked before picking his radio up, "Largo! Status?"

Largo's grizzled voice broke through the static, "We've broken through their lines and captured their operating base."

Welkin nodded, "Any casualties?"

Largo paused and just before Welkin was going to repeat his question, he answered, "One, Wordsworth took off ahead of the rest of us and ate a mortar round, no amount of Ragnaid would help him."

Welkin blinked, "Largo when we get back to camp we'll have to give a report about this, what happened? Why was he so far forwards?"

Largo sighed, "I don't know kid, I ordered him back into cover, but he kept on going."

Welkin looked at Alicia, concern etching both of their faces. Finally, Welkin spoke again, "Alright, the Germans are reinforcing us, once they're across I suspect we'll be rotated back, we've done our job."

Soon enough, the Germans rushed across the bridge and Squad 7 was recalled to camp. Welkin looked at the second team and raised an eyebrow, but before anyone could say anything, Captain Varrot walked over, "Good work Sevens, Vasel is back under Gallian control and with minimal loss of life," she said before frowning slightly, "But we do need to talk about the one casualty that you did take and precisely how that happened. Follow me."

One by one, each of the members of squad seven gave their account of the events, which only varied based on if the person had been on the same team as Noce or not. Eventually, Varrot called Welkin and Alicia in once more, "As far as I can tell, Private Wordsworth disobeyed a direct order from Corporal Potter and that ultimately led to his death, and there was nothing that could have been done about it."

Welkin frowned, "Forgive me Captain, but I can't help but feel as though something just doesn't add up here."

Varrot nodded, "That's why I called you both in here as it affects both of you," she remarked before laying a journal on her desk, "This was found among his things, have a read of the open page."

Alicia took the book and Welkin read over her shoulder. The page was rather short, reading: "_Alicia is slipping from my grasp, that infernal Gunther, one battle and suddenly she's falling head over heels for him. I'll show them, just have to become a hero then she'll see. And if Gunther doesn't survive the war, well, all the better for me._"

Welkin felt slightly sick after reading that, but he clearly didn't feel as strongly about it as Alicia. She threw the journal away from herself as if it was carrying the plague and nearly threw up. Almost on instinct, Welkin wrapped an arm around her, just to let her know he was there. She turned around and leaned into him, drawing comfort from him.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither noticed Varrot exiting the tent to give them some space, soon, Alicia spoke, "What do we do about this?" she asked.

Welkin sighed, "I don't think I can answer that, as it's a question that can only be answered by you," he replied. Alicia frowned slightly, causing him to continue, "Alicia, I will be behind you no matter the choice you make, be it a transfer to another squad at one extreme, all the way to a relationship on the other, but that choice is yours alone."

Alicia smiled, "Could I have some time to think about it Welkin?" she asked.

Welkin returned her smile, "You can have all the time you want Alicia, just let me know when you do decide."

Alicia nodded and they left the tent, not know, just how much had already changed and how much would stay the same…

* * *

**With the Recapture of Vasel and The Great Vasel Bridge less then a week into the Imperial Invasion into Gallia, the Imperial High Command was thrown into confusion. What was once thought to be an easy land grab with Ragnite resources was turning a real war, one the Imperials weren't expecting. Similarly, the blossoming romance between many members of the Seventh Squad of the Third Regiment of the Gallian Militia was rather unexpected, but unlike the Invasion, it wasn't unwelcome. But it would be the stories that would unfold in the coming days and months that would set Gallia, and perhaps the world alight…**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Well chapter five is finally up, as you can see, I'm speeding certain things up, all for the plot I assure you.**_

_**Right, reviews: GJO1088, to be honest, I completely forgot about Damon's feather (even though I'm playing the game again as I'm writing this) so I added some snark in this chapter because they totally would, as for the sexist thing, I recalled the thing from VC4 but my exposure to the series extends to owning the first game, watching people play the fourth game (Though once the steam winter sale comes, that will probably change) and watching the first two episodes of the anime so I had no idea Damon had a sexist line in the anime, though I'm not surprised as Damon's personality in-game screams "Git" and I can totally see him saying something like that (just wait).**_

_**Papon777 for the German vehicles, I won't be adding much, the tanks are what they have, the Aircraft are British for the same reason that Graf won't be added, it was May 1944 when the force was sucked into the Valkyria Chronicles universe. As for Rommel taking charge of the Gallian War Effort, can't say anything else I would spoil things.**_

_**Until Next Time!**_


	6. Interlude I

The trip back to Randgriz was quiet and, thankfully, uneventful. It wasn't long before the spires of the city came into view. Welkin popped his hatch as soon as they entered the gates, however, before he stood up, Joseph spoke up from the driver's seat, "I wouldn't recommend that Lieutenant! You'd probably get torn down and we'd have a hell of a time trying to find you!"

Welkin blinked and looked out the viewing slits in the turret and was surprised at what he saw; the streets were lined with cheering Gallians, all excited about the recent victory. Decided that Joseph was probably right as he could see a few of his squad getting accosted by joyful members of the crowd, Welkin closed the hatch again, instead choosing to come forward to the main compartment of the Edelweiss. Glancing over to the side, he saw Isara, still sleeping, she had fallen asleep once Edelweiss had started moving out of Vasel and hadn't woken up since. Welkin smiled softly, "I'm surprised she still hasn't woken up yet," he remarked.

Joseph took a quick glance at Isara, noting how peaceful she looked when she slept, "Indeed," he murmured before looking to the road, "Is someone taking her to the female barracks?"

Welkin nodded, "Yes, Juno and Susie are," he replied before looking at him, "Why do you ask?"

Joseph shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure she was going to be taken care of once we arrived back at base."

Welkin gave the pilot a long hard look, one that the pilot didn't notice, not until Welkin leaned in for a second, "Meet me in my office after you get Edelweiss tucked in back at the garage."

Joseph blinked and turned around to look at him. Seeing the hard look Welkin was giving him, Joseph unconsciously gulped and simply nodded. He wasn't sure what it was going to be about, but he had a feeling he'd be in for a rollicking if ever there was one.

It didn't take long before they reached Fort Amatriain, Juno and Susie taking Isara between them towards the barracks, while she was still asleep no less. Joseph parked Edelweiss in her berth in the garage, taking the time to top up the ragnoline and ammunition, partly to ensure that Isara wouldn't have much to worry about when she returned to duty, partly to delay his meeting with Welkin. However, he soon could delay no longer and found himself standing in front of the door to Welkin's office.

Knocking, it didn't take long before Welkin called him in. Entering, Joseph noticed the all of the insects and flowers in glass frames, a nice touch, he thought, to the commander he had.

For his part, Welkin was looking over some papers before looking up, "Ah, Joseph, good timing, I just finished some work for Captain Varrot," he remarked before gesturing to the chair in front of him, "Please, have a seat."

Grimacing slightly, Joseph did so. Welkin leaned back in his chair, many things on his mind, but he wanted to get this right, "You care for Isara, don't you?" he asked casually.

Joseph looked down slightly, "With respect sir, it's far deeper then care or like, but I can't put it into words."

Welkin grew a small smirk, "You know, you're not the only one in that sort of position," he remarked. After Joseph gave him an incredulous look, Welkin continued, "What? Have you not observed Alicia and myself together?" he asked, shutting his eyes in relaxation and tilting his head backwards, "It's funny, I only met her a week ago and yet I find myself subconsciously cataloguing that which I can remember so that I may stay in her good books."

Joseph looked at Welkin, interest in his eyes, "And what do you call that feeling sir?" he asked.

Welkin's face threatened to split in half with the smile that grew on his face, "Well, if I was to label it, I'd say that I've fallen in love."

Joseph leaned back in his own chair, thinking about what he had said when Welkin straightened his back, "But regardless of whether or not you've fallen for my little sister, you've proven yourself to have her best interests at heart, and I need your help."

Joseph cocked his head, "My help sir? With what?"

Welkin sighed, "My father, General Gunther, adopted Isara when her own father and mother died in a tragic accident when she was a baby," he began, "However, on his deathbed, he made me swear that I would protect Isara no matter what, and I can't help but feel as though I failed in that duty."

Joseph was about to ask what that had to do with him when Welkin continued, "I realised that this was no longer a single person job, I already intend on asking Alicia if she will help, but I could always use the extra hand, especially since Isara is so comfortable around you."

Joseph raised an eyebrow, "Is that unusual for her?"

Welkin sighed, "Isara tries to be friendly to everyone, but while most people aren't as rude as Lance Corporal Stark, they aren't exactly courteous back to her. So the fact that you not only were kind to her but that you shared interests and experiences with her, she's sort of latched on with both hands."

Joseph nodded, "Then sir, I promise that I will do my utmost to ensure Isara's safety and happiness."

Welkin smiled, "You have my thanks," he said before thinking for a moment, "Hmm, perhaps we can get your unit assigned to Squad Seven, much like Kruass' unit."

Joseph thought for a moment, "Perhaps sir, I'll speak with the Commander about it, otherwise I can always request a transfer."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "You'd give up flying to be in a position to help Isara?"

Joseph nodded, "Yes sir, I told Isara yesterday that flying was hours of boredom, punctuated by seconds of sheer terror," he remarked before looking down slightly, "Besides, I fought in a massive Air War that determined the fate of the entire war back home, friends I had didn't come home again and flying in combat reminds me of them and makes me think that maybe I could have saved them."

Welkin crossed his arms, his face gentle, "If I may, no one can save everyone, it's like your Wing Commander said 'War will inevitability have casualties,' it's our job to end the war without taking unnecessary ones."

Joseph gave a small smile before standing, "If that is all sir? I can talk with the Commander right now if you'd like?"

Welkin nodded, "Of course," he replied, turning back to the papers on his desk.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, their conversation had been heard by a third person, Alicia wasn't sure why her instincts told her to come up to Welkin's office, she hadn't made a decision yet. That was when she heard Welkin and Joseph talking, "… it's far deeper then care or like, but I can't put it into words."

__That would be Joseph__ she thought before hearing Welkin speak, "You know, you're not the only one in that sort of position."

Alicia raised an eyebrow from her position from just on the other side of the door, __just what is Welkin talking about?__ She wondered before she quickly got her answer, "What? Have you not observed Alicia and myself together? It's funny, I only met her a week ago and yet I find myself subconsciously cataloguing that which I can remember so that I may stay in her good books."

Alicia was shocked that Welkin would say such a thing, he was the son of General Belgan Gunther, the Hero of Gallia, any girl would love a chance to corner him in a closet and drop his trousers, __including yourself,__ a small voice in the back of her mind said.

She opted to ignore that voice and pay attention to the conversation, "And what do you call that feeling sir?" Joseph asked Welkin.

Of all the answers she would have thought that Welkin would give, she wasn't expecting the next words out of his mouth, "Well, if I was to label it, I'd say that I've fallen in love."

At that point Alicia tuned out of the conversation, head spinning with that revelation. Welkin loved her! The little baker from Bruhl! The girl who, by accident, had thought that he had been a spy and arrested him.

She didn't notice when Joseph left the room, she was too far into her own world. She may have still been reeling from that morning's discovery, but she had become certain of what she felt around him, that missing emotion from the orphanage. Sure, it had been a place where she felt safe, and the matrons were always kind, but there was no love there. Suddenly an unbidden memory from her youth rose from the depths of her mind.

* * *

__It was a cold winter's day, the orphanage could barely afford to feed everyone, let alone keep the place warm. A seven-year-old Alicia walked around, trying to keep spirits up among the younger children, it was the holidays after all. With Christmas Day finally here, the children were in about as good a mood as they could have been, considering the circumstances. All of a sudden though, the front door to the orphanage opened and in walked a man that ever Gallian knew, General Belgan Gunther, Hero of the last war. The Matron was the first to snap out of her shock, "General Gunther, this is a surprise."__

__The General offered a small smile, "A pleasant one I hope, Cindy, especially with what I have for all of the children."__

__The Matron's eyebrows disappeared into her receding hairline, "Pardon?"__

__General Gunther smiled, "I'm inviting everyone in this building, including you Cindy, don't try and get out of it, to my manor for a Christmas feast!"__

__The children didn't need any motivation to get up and get ready, but Alicia at least hoped that she and the Matron would be able to rein in their excitement a little if only so the Gunther Manor would still be standing after the day was out.__

__The feast itself was grand, the General having pulled out all the stops for it, but it was the General's son who intrigued her the most. Standing off to the side, with a bundle in his arms, Alicia approached him, "You're the General's son, aren't you?" she asked.__

__The boy nodded, "Yes, my name is Welkin, what's yours?"__

_"___Alicia," she replied before looking at the bundle and seeing a face, "And who's this little one?" she cooed.__

__Welkin smiled at her, "This is my baby sister, Isara," he replied, "She's barely a year old."__

__Alicia smiled, she loved little children.__

__There was little surprise on the Matron's face when she saw Alicia with Welkin, he was holding a baby after all. It appeared that General Gunther was of the same mind, "I see that young one talking with Welkin about Is, who is she?"__

__The Matron smiled, "Alicia Melchiott, she's an odd case, one of those 'baskets on the front step in the middle of the night' stories."__

__General Gunther smirked, "You know, I get the feeling that I'm looking at my future daughter-in-law."__

* * *

Neither the Matron, General Gunther, nor Welkin realised that Alicia had heard that. While she had never thought about it and had indeed forgotten about it until now, she wondered what the General would think now. "Alicia?" a voice called, pulling her out of her haze.

Alicia blinked, "Huh?" she murmured.

As her eyes came into focus, she noticed Welkin standing in front of her, "I was just coming out of the office and saw you, and I was asking if you wanted to go get something to eat. You okay? You were kind of spacing out there." he replied.

Alicia nodded, "Sure, I was just remembering something from years ago."

Welkin smiled and they set off. Heading into the downtown area of Randgriz, Alicia looked around with curious eyes. Having never left Bruhl, this was quite the experience for her. Just then, she thought of something, "Where are we going Welkin?"

Welkin smirked, "A little cafe near the riverfront, it's where I would go to relax after classes at university, it's quiet, out of the way, and it's got a lovely view." he replied. __Though how much I'll be paying attention to the view of the river or to the girl in front of me will be another matter entirely__, Welkin thought.

Alicia smiled, "That sounds lovely," she remarked before looping her arm with his, "Shall we?" she asked cheekily.

Welkin smirked and nodded, this was a good sign in his mind. Little did he know just how good it would be.

* * *

In another part of Fort Amatriain, Joseph walking into the main command area that the British and Germans had set up and found Wing Commander McAllen, Field Marshal Rommel, Captain von Essen, Captain Lindemann and a few other officers he didn't recognise, having a massive argument, so large in fact, no one noticed him enter.

"I don't care if his strategy worked!" Captain Lindemann shouted, "It was reckless and could have ended in disaster!"

Rommel raised an eyebrow, "It was a calculated risk," he replied before stepping close to Lindemann, "And need I remind you, __I__ am the General, not you, __Captain__."

Captain von Essen sighed, "Be reasonable Lindemann, for thirty-odd militia, and about ten Germans, that was a light battle," he remarked before looking up, "And the fact that the was only one person killed during the second half of the battle means that Lieutenant Gunther's plan worked better than even Rommel's conservative estimates allowed."

Crìsdean narrowed his eyes, "Don't tell me you're still harping on __that__," he warned, "If you are, I must remind you that we're in a different country, so the rules about fraternising between officers are going to be different."

Lindemann, for his part, didn't even respond, choosing to instead to leave the room grumbling. Many of the others took that as their cue to leave as well, leaving only Rommel and Crìsdean in the room with Joseph. Seeing the young man, Rommel greeted him, "Ah, Commander Hernadez, how might we help you?"

Joseph took a steadying breath, "Lieutenant Gunther has suggested to me that since I work so well with his squad, that my squadron be assigned to work with Squad Seven, I then suggested that if that wasn't possible that I would transfer to the squad."

Crìsdean sighed, "As much as I'd like to assign your squadron to Squad Seven, there aren't enough planes in the air on our side to make that feasible."

Rommel looked to the young pilot, suspecting that there were more reasons for the sudden transfer, but choosing not to pry, "Perhaps, but surely we can spare a single plane for the time being. And, in cases where it's impracticable to have air cover, he has already proven that he is capable on the ground."

Crìsdean sighed, he hated it, losing his best pilot, but he was sure that he'd find another. "You're a good pilot Jman, I hate losing you, but you can do more good on the ground than in the air," he finally said before looking at him, "I think she'll be worth it."

Joseph blinked, "Sir?"

Crìsdean smirked, "I know from the General here that you and that Gunther girl were getting on famously, that's half the reason the Captain was in a tizzy a moment ago, just don't hurt her, I'd hate to hear that you were beaten to a pulp because you were thinking with your stick and not your brain."

Joseph spluttered, there was no point denying it, but he had thought the people who knew was limited. Then he remembered that if Welkin knew, he must have been pretty obvious. Finally, a question formed in his mind, "Sir, if I may ask, what was the other half?"

Rommel answered for Crìsdean, "That would be Gunther and Melchiott." he replied before both he and Crìsdean walked out of the room.

Joseph couldn't help but wonder, as he walked to his quarters to fetch his things so that he would transfer to the barracks of the squad, just how many more culture shocks the German captain would be in for. The answer, perhaps, would surprise him.

* * *

Welkin and Alicia had finally reached the cafe, a small one right on the riverfront. Business was light as they walked in, only two tables had people sitting at them and one of those was one of the employees on their break. Seeing Welkin walk in, the hostess grew a large smile on her face, especially since he brought a girl along. "Evening Welkin, usual table for you and your friend?"

Welkin nodded, "That would be great Anne, thanks."

Anne smirked before leading them to a table under a window, allowing for a perfect view of the river, "I'll be right back with water," she remarked before plopping the menus in front of them, "Take all the time you need."

Alicia waited until she was gone before speaking, "I see you come here often."

Welkin nodded, "As I said, I would come here after classes, it's far enough from the university to be relatively unknown to the students yet close enough that I won't have to leave early to get back without having people ask questions."

Alicia smiled at that, she understood wanting a private spot away from people who would pry into things. "Well, don't worry Welkin, your secret is safe with me."

Welkin chuckled at that and it wasn't long before their food was before them. Setting in to eat, Welkin's mind turned to his conversation with Joseph, and the one immediately preceding it with Faldio.

* * *

__Welkin was looking over the paperwork he had to do, as Noce's direct superior, it was expected that he would write the letter of condolences. He had just finished when there was a knock at the door, "Enter!" he called.__

__Looking at the door, it came as a surprise when he saw Faldio enter, "Oh Faldio, I wasn't expecting you, how are things in Squad One?" he asked.__

__Faldio shrugged before taking a seat, "Fairly well, we didn't have nearly as much excitement as you and yours did," he remarked before seeing the letter on Welkin's desk and sighing, "I've had to write my first one as well."__

__Welkin leaned back in his chair, "Even one is too many."__

__Faldio nodded, "Agreed, but thankfully for us, you came up with that plan and impressed that German so much, we don't have a mountain of them to write."__

__Welkin frowned, "Just how bad was General Damon's plan?" he asked.__

__Faldio shuttered, "You don't want to know," he murmured, causing Welkin to suspect that the only reason he was still alive was that they ignored Damon's plan. They sat in silence for a few moments before Faldio grinned, "So," he began, "You and Sergeant Melchiott then?"__

__Welkin rolled his eyes, not wanting to dignify that with a response. However, Faldio smirked at his friend's silence, "You could always telegraph your feelings quite clearly Welks," he chuckled.__

__Welkin rolled his eyes again and levelled a glare at his good friend, who just shrugged, "Am I wrong?" he asked, "When you didn't show any interest in her, Juno went and moved on, you know she had a massive crush on you."__

__Welkin sighed, "Faldio, just, could you drop it?" he asked, "There was a problem this morning with one of my squad."__

__Faldio raised an eyebrow and Welkin continued, "The guy who died, well he was obsessed with Alicia, to the point where I think he would have arranged for me to have an 'accident' of some sort."__

__Faldio's eyebrows shot into his hairline, "You don't mean…" he muttered before receiving a nod, "By the Valkrur."__

__Welkin sighed, "You know how hard it was, being polite in that letter, knowing all of that?"__

__Faldio shook his head, "No, but I can imagine it was hard," he replied. Then he thought for a moment, "How'd your Sergeant take it?"__

__Welkin leaned back in his chair, vividly remembering what happened, "She threw the journal as far away from her as possible as if it carried the plague," he replied before looking Faldio in the eyes, "Hence why I'm letting her decide everything. If she wants to be in a relationship with me, then I will be more than willing to reciprocate, if not, then oh well, she'll gain a guardian protector."__

__Faldio blinked a few times, "You already realised that you love her?" he asked. When Welkin nodded, he leaned forward, "Did you mention it to her?" again, Welkin nodded and Faldio smiled, "Well, I am proud of you Welks, you finally learnt when to follow your heart."__

__Welkin rolled his eyes and looked back down at his work when he finally looked back up, Faldio had left him to his work…__

* * *

After Welkin finished remembering that, he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Alicia noticed but didn't say anything, choosing to return it. Just then, Anne returned with some ice cream in her hands. Once she set the bowl in front of them, Welkin looked at her, "I don't think we ordered this, did we?"

When Alicia shook her head, Anne smirked, "I know," she replied, "Think of it as a thank you for Vasel, my sister might not have made it if it hadn't been for you and your squad Welkin."

Since Anne then walked off, they couldn't exactly return the treat. Shrugging, Alicia took her spoon and began to dig in, with Welkin following a second later.

It didn't take long before they finished their treat, though it was comical watching Welkin attempt to clean some chocolate sauce off of his face. It only took about a minute before he gave up and Alicia took a napkin to his face, where it only took her a second to clean his face.

After thanking Alicia, Welkin suggested a walk on the riverfront and she agreed. It didn't take long before Alicia brought up the topic that he was most anxious about, "So, about what happened this morning," she began.

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "What about it?" he asked.

Alicia took a deep breath and looked up at him, nearly getting lost in his eyes again. However, time did seem to slow for them as they gazed at each other. No more words were spoken, their spot on the bridge over the river just out of the way enough that no one would bother them and interrupt the moment. The late evening sun glinted in Welkin's eyes, his wishes held in them. He could see the uncertainty in hers, but not because of what she felt, but rather, how to express her feelings.

It happened rather suddenly, but in a single motion, Alicia and Welkin brought their lips together and shared their first of what they both hoped would be many kisses, tenderly at first, with just their lips involved, before they wrapped their arms around each other, hands messing hair.

Eventually, though far too soon for the lovers, they had to break for air. Flustered, Alicia laid her head on Welkin's chest, the feelings of comfort, safety, and love hitting her in full force. It was then that Welkin spoke up, having found his voice, "You're okay with this?" he whispered.

Alicia shut her eyes, __was she really okay with this, __ she asked herself, before finding her answer deep inside of her, "I'm more than okay with this Welkin," she replied in the same hushed tones, growing a smile on her face, "Maybe your father was right, maybe he __was__ looking at his future daughter-in-law."

Welkin blinked before looking down at her, "What do you mean?" he asked.

Alicia's smile grew larger, "Years ago, General Gunther invited my orphanage over for a Christmas feast, where I met you and Isara for the first time, she was only a year old or so," she replied before looking up, "I overheard the Matron and the General talking and he said 'You know, I get the feeling that I'm looking at my future daughter-in-law.' and I think he might have been right."

Welkin's eye widened, "I had completely forgotten all about that."

Alicia chuckled, "So had I, until a few hours ago."

Welkin smiled and they were about to begin round two, when the clock chimed seven times, "Bugger!" Welkin muttered, "I've got a briefing at eight! We need to head back right away!"

Alicia nodded and they began their walk back to base, hand in hand.

* * *

Elsewhere, there were other briefings happening. "How the Gallians managed to beat back our troops is beyond me. They are peasants and simpletons, nothing more," one officer said.

Another officer sighed, "It's not merely the Gallians Gregor, from what I hear, the Gallians have gotten allies. Powerful allies."

General Gregor looked at his colleague, "Yes, I've heard these 'flying machines' and their other weapons, Jaeger. Including those ships that destroyed the __ISS Siegval__," he replied before adjusting his glasses, "The seas are out of our control, the air will try to kill us at every turn, and our tanks are inferior to those odd things that don't look to run on Ragnite."

General Jaeger sat up, a thought coming to him, "I don't think any of their things run on Ragnite, I've heard rumblings from home that Gallia has secured a few trade deals for the acquisition of oil from various neutral nations, and since Fhirald has some of the largest oil fields in the world, they're a bit miffed about missing out on the profits they could have gotten."

Jaeger then looked at the only woman at the table, "What do you make of this turn Selvaria?"

Selvaria for her part, was silent, introspective until Jaeger directed a question towards her. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she then spoke, "The question is no longer a matter of numbers, but rather if it is even possible to win anymore," she remarked before looking up from her lap, "I have read the reports from Vasel, an entire army group in exchange for barely fifty of them, we cannot afford those figures," she stated before turning towards the elevated desk, "What says, Your Grace?"

Prince Maximilian, leader of the Gallian Invasion, raised his gaze to regard each of his commanders. Though he kept his face placid, internally, he was seething. The Imperial Palace would be questioning his motives soon enough and there was the matter of this "Air Force" the Gallians had. Finally, he spoke, "Our course is clear," he remarked before standing, "The Emperor must be made aware of the Gallian Air Force, once he has given Us the craft we will require, we will crush this nuisance for good. Until then, we must make do with what we have."

Walking down the dais, he looked at the map on the table, "Gregor, see to Our central forces, a… restructuring would prove most motivational to them."

General Gregor nodded and turned on his heel to leave to his task, "Jaeger, the Gallians will most certainly seek to strike Our forces in the south to reverse Our momentum, therefore, the route through Kloden must be made unshakable."

Jaeger nodded, "Of course, I'll leave at once."

Maximilian then turned to Selvaria, "We shall head to Barious, Selvaria, you will escort Us."

Selvaria bowed, "Of course Your Grace."

Leaving the two Generals, Maximilian prepared for his journey. Selvaria looked at Jaeger, "Do be careful Jaeger, between the four of us, you're the only strategist who can come up with sane plans."

Jaeger raised an eyebrow, "Selvaria Bles, not worshipping the very ground the Prince walks upon? What happened?" he asked, almost in jest.

Selvaria looked down for a moment, before locking eyes with him, "Maximilian is not all he seems, I have seen proof of his dual nature," she replied before closing the distance, "I mean it, take care of yourself."

With that, she left the stunned General to his devices and returned to her quarters. It had been a little over a week since she discovered the Prince's duplicity, with the invasion of Gallia, he had been very distracted, allowing one of the soldiers who held her in high regard to "accidentally" walk off with his journal for enough time to copy parts he had felts she should read before returning it to where he had found it, with the Prince none the wiser nonetheless. Needless to say, if it had been another soldier and not him who brought it before her, he would have been disappeared. As it was, after an hour of allowing her to gather her senses after having brought her entire world crashing down, they began making plans to safeguard themselves from being mere pawns in a game of chess.

Just then, there was a knock on her door, "Enter!" she called.

Turning around, she was greeted by the sight of that very man, Johann Oswald Eisen, walking in, "General," he greeted, "How does __His Grace__ wish us to proceed."

Selvaria smiled, she could tell that he was still angry over Maximilian's planned treatment of her. That was what she liked about him, he had only known her for a few hours before the assault on Ghirlandaio and he had already treated her with more respect and dignity than most in the Imperial Army.

* * *

__She was looking over the plans one last time, Ghirlandaio had been touted as Gallia's strongest fortress and their forces were numerous, however, she was certain of victory. Just then, the tent flap opened, "General Bles?" the soldier asked, "Johann Oswald Eisen reporting as ordered."__

__Selvaria nodded, "Good, you'll be staying close to me for the battle, we'll be in the thick of it."__

__Johann nodded, "Understood General."__

__With that, the battle began and it became quite clear that the Gallians wouldn't give an inch willingly. However, since it was the Army, their competency left a great deal to be desired. Johann and Selvaria fought like a well-oiled machine, despite only meeting that morning. However, soon a siren blared and they heard the thunder of artillery being fired and Johann looked up, what he saw terrified him, but he knew he couldn't freeze, "General!" he shouted before grabbing to things from his backpack, "Put this on! The Gallians have launched Chemical Ragnite rounds!"__

__Grabbing the gas mask and putting it on, she noticed some of the Gallians doing the same, "Look, over there, looks like that coward of a general failed to warn and equip his troops for such an attack," she stated before turning back to her troops, "Those of you who don't have masks, fall back, the rest of you, with me and forwards! We take this fortress today!"__

__Her troops began following her orders and soon she was left with just over fifty soldiers including herself and Johann. What followed was inevitable, Ghirlandaio fell, General Damon abandoned his troops and Johann proved himself to be a valuable soldier.__

* * *

Selvaria shook her head, "Johann, do be careful how you speak, I'd hate for someone to pick up on this."

Johann smirked, "Lucky for us, I only use this tone when alone with you," he replied before laying his helmet on the table.

Selvaria grew a large grin, "Surely that's not the only thing you save for me."

Johann's eyes sparkled before whispering, "I guess everything can hold for a night then."

It was telling that no one saw either of them until morning…

* * *

Back in Randgriz, Joseph finished moving out of his dorm and into the Squad Seven men's barracks. It was still a decent hour, so he decided to head into the garage and tinker with his Seafire, just in case he was called up into the air. When he got there, however, he was surprised to find Isara working on the Edelweiss. Walking up behind her, he caught her attention, "Evening Isara."

Isara however, hadn't noticed Joseph enter, so when he spoke, she couldn't help the squeak that she let out nor could she help her falling off of the Edelweiss. It was good fortune that Joseph had been standing behind her as he broke her fall, granted, it was with his body, but he still broke her fall. "Are you alright Isara?" he asked, "I'm sorry I startled you."

Isara tensed up, just keeping her breathing under control. Joseph noticed, but didn't know what to do. Finally, Isara relaxed, "I'm fine," she mumbled.

Not quite buying it, but also not wanting to push too far, Joseph helped Isara to her feet before turning to Edelweiss, "Anything, in particular, you're working on, or are you just tinkering?"

Isara took a breath, reminding herself that Joseph wasn't the same as the people who… no, she couldn't think about that, it was still too raw, "Just tinkering, keeping myself busy."

Joseph gave her a soft smile, "Mind if I join you, my squadronmates say I'm unbearable unless I'm doing something."

Isara nodded and they set to work, neither of them noticed the hours passing. Eventually though, they noticed the lateness of the hour, "I don't think the doors are unlocked," Joseph muttered, before looking at Isara, who had slipped into her seat in the Edelweiss and fallen asleep. Deciding she had the right idea, he soon joined her in sleep…

* * *

There was anything but rest in Castle Randgriz; the Princess, select members of her Parliament, as well as Captain von Essen and Commander McAllen, were in a tense meeting. Captain von Essen and Commander McAllen were getting a first-hand encounter with Gallia's isolationist hawks along with her political circus. Finally, Wilhelm had enough and, when he couldn't draw attention the normal way, drew his pistol and fired into the air.

Silence fell quickly, "At last," he muttered before gazing across the assembled, "If I didn't know any better, it would sound to me as if you want Gallia to fall, if only so you may cut deals with the Empire to be King of the Gallian region in some vassal state!" he stated.

Outrage and indignation cried out before he rested his hand on his pistol again, but it was the Princess who spoke up first, "Captain, what is your experience in matters such as this? With as little information as we have on your former nation, we are at the disadvantage with information."

Wilhelm bowed his head towards her, "My most sincere apologies Your Highness, please, allow me to explain," he replied, drawing nods from the crowd, "I have seen such political squabbling in Germany, and Commander McAllen has experiences with Britain. However, with the Kriegsmarine, the political interference has been far greater than in other branches and we are, were far smaller than the forces that we were meant to oppose and our own comrades-in-arms, as such, I know from personal experience when I am listening to a politician who is only out for personal glory and not for the good of the nation."

Gilbert Gassenarl sneered, "We don't need your opinions."

Wilhelm interrupted, "Then you have no need for my ships, my tanks, my army, or my air force."

Silence reigned, the challenge had been laid out, though Crìsdean was certain that no one would call him on his bluff. However, when he looked at Wilhelm, he suddenly wasn't so sure he was bluffing.

It took a moment, but a member of the Parliament finally grew a pair and stood, "And how would you suggest we deal with this war?"

Wilhelm smirked, "Let the professionals do their work with no interference would be a start, but since I know I'm not going to get that, I'd be willing to suggest that the current War Council set up by the Princess is sufficient enough, with the Commanders of all the independent branches together in one place, no toes should be stepped on and the war should be over relatively quickly."

The nobles looked at each other, Crìsdean couldn't tell if they were concerned or just constipated. Finally, Borg, who had been looking to lay an egg if his face had been anything to go by, stood, "Well then, if there is nothing else Highness, we shall leave you be."

Cordelia nodded, "Yes, Captain von Essen, a moment please."

Wilhelm blinked, "Of course Your Highness," he replied.

Gathering both of their things, Crìsdean stood and walked over to him, "Borg was about ready to lay an egg, I can't tell what the Princess is thinking right now, but either way, good luck."

Wilhelm was about to ask what he meant when Cordelia walked up to him, "Captain," she greeted before offering her hand, "Walk with me please."

Wilhelm took her hand and bowed, pressing his lips to her hand in the process, "I am yours to command, Your Highness."

Walking out into the garden, Cordelia looked at him, "You look awfully young for a Captain, do you just have this youthful look or is there something else?"

Wilhelm chuckled, "No Your Highness, I am truly young, only turned eighteen a month ago, but the German Navy was desperate for people and I had a fascination with big ships."

Cordelia blinked, "But how in the name of the Valkrur could you have made Captain so young?"

Wilhelm sighed, "I joined young, fourteen to be precise, and Admiralty need officers badly. I just happened to be top of my class so the Admirals were willing to turn a blind eye to my age in order to get me in a command position."

Cordelia didn't quite know what to say to that, she doubted anyone would, instead choosing to continue walking with him. They continued walking in silence for a few minutes before Cordelia looked to him, "You see the issues I have with my Parliament, yet you were able to defuse them so easily, how?"

Wilhelm smirked, "Simple bluff, threaten to remove all support for them, and, when your support is the only reason they're still in power, you'll have them eating from the palm of your hand," he remarked.

Cordelia sighed, "I fear the nobles are plotting now that you've shown your hand, opportunistic vultures, they've been after my crown since my parents' deaths and my coronation."

An idea formed in Wilhelm's mind, but he chose not to vocalise it just yet, he'd need to talk with a few of his friends in the radio room first though, instead, he chose to squeeze her hand, "I'm sure they'll fail, you've got us after all."

Cordelia smiled, her heart fluttering, to her ears, and to anyone eavesdroppers, it sounded less of the Captain saying that his forces would back her, but more that __he__ would back her. A warm feeling spread throughout her as they re-entered the castle, neither of them knowing just how fateful that pledge would be…

* * *

_**Phew, I finally got this chapter out, took a while but I hope that the amount of content I threw at you is filling enough.**_

_**Let's look at those reviews, shall we? Zucharest, few things in your review, firstly, I love what you did with Noce, secondly, Damon, well, let's just say that after certain people find out what happened to Isara, well, he'll be wishing for his canonical death rather then what I have planned for him, thirdly, Joseph is part of the British force, so not German, fourthly, in regards to Rommel v Jaeger, well, I have plans, have a look at Jaeger's wiki page for clues. **__**GJO1088, yeah, I wasn't happy with Welkin's portrayal in the game in regards to his relationship with Isara, also, I've made changes to certain characters, I'm sure you will have noticed in this chapter, so yeah, about the turnover rate of Squad 7, it'll be high, but not really high. Cpt. Lynx, my German comes in the form of Google Translate, even if I have some German blood in me, I'm not versed in the language, as for the whole "Keep a lock around him" thing, clearly retranslating it didn't help as it was supposed to be "Keep a lock on your mouth around him," as for Alex and Marina, we'll see.**_

_**Right, I should probably address this now, though I should have done so earlier: certain characters are at the request of members of my Discord channel, Captain Wilhelm von Essen by Richie23, Joseph Hernadez by TheJman445 and Ekkehard Krauss by Yoshinon, **_**_Crìsdean_**_** McAllen came about from throwing about a random last name with my first name into Google Translate into Scots Gaelic. With that, I hope that the spellings of the names of certain OCs make sense.**_

_**I suspect that this will be my last update until the new year, but we'll see. Until Next Time!**_


	7. Episode II: Part 1

The following week passed rather quickly for the squad, Isara was still somewhat shaky around others, most notably the men of the squad, which sent alarm bells off in many people's minds, but the problem was that Isara wasn't talking except to acknowledge requests and respond to a small number of questions. Much to even Welkin's surprise, Isara didn't even take part in the endless teasing of him and Alicia that ensued after he had arrived at his briefing with his clothes ruffled, and, with Faldio being Faldio, the entire regiment found out about their newfound relationship. However, it lead to some unusual conversations with their foreign help, "It's perfectly fine for Gallian soldiers to have relationships, both in and out of their unit, in fact, it's not unusual for some officers to have their entire family join them in service, though that's normally only in the Militia," Welkin remarked.

A very confused Ekkehard shook his head, "I suppose most of my confusion stems from the fact that back home, our women generally manned the home front, often making the weapons and other equipment we used." he mentioned, remembering what the British had told him about the Americans.

Welkin shrugged, "I understand that many of our customs are unfamiliar to you," he replied before standing, "Keep an open mind and generally don't worry about things if it is something to worry about, either myself, Alicia, Largo or Captain Varrot will say something."

Ekkehard nodded before also standing, "Thank you, Lieutenant, I speak with my troops about the matter, hopefully, we'll be able to avoid any misunderstandings."

Welkin nodded before walking out, hurrying to his briefing, his first one where he was having to hurry not because of his relationship, or the teasing about it.

Arriving in Captain Varrot's office, with only a minute to spare, Welkin ignored the grins sent his way. Captain Varrot for her part, also ignored them and got the briefing underway, "With the Imperials on the back foot, the Army has been ordered to begin operations to clear them out of central Gallia."

Faldio rubbed his chin, "Does that mean we'll be moving to central Gallia as well Captain?" he asked.

Varrot shook her head, "No, while General Rommel's forces will be assisting the Army, and he requested the Third Regiment by name for support, High Command denied his request and are tasking us with beginning operations in the South. Specifically, we have been tasked with striking supply bases in the Kloden area, prepare your squads for forest combat, further details are in folders that have been sent to your offices," she replied before exiting the room.

Welkin sighed, but Faldio spoke up, "Kloden is a dense forest, fighting will be difficult."

Welkin nodded, "I took some soil samples from areas in the Kloden woods last year, I think I got lost at least a half a dozen times," he remarked before thinking for a moment, "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and find something that will turn this war around quickly."

Faldio smirked, "We already have, they call themselves British and German."

Welkin shook his head, but returned the smirk and walked to his office, where he found Alicia, Largo, Isara and Joseph in the room. Nodding to the others, he looked at the folder in Alicia's hand, "I assume that was dropped off for me while I was out?" he asked and she nodded, completely engrossed in reading it, "Good, those are our new orders."

Alicia hummed, "An Imperial supply base in the Kloden woods, practically in the centre of them too," she mused.

Joseph raised an eyebrow, "What's the mission? Raze or capture?"

Alicia ran her eyes over the document, "Capture, according to this," she replied.

Largo scowled, "Woodland Warfare. Great."

Welkin chuckled, "Faldio had the same concerns, as do I, but the trees are too thick for air support so we can't have Joseph guide us, we'll have to use dead reckoning in order to reach our target."

Joseph grimaced, "I'm probably going to regret saying this, but I recommend getting as many of our German tankers on this mission as possible."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" he asked.

Joseph sighed, "During our war, another one of Britain's Allies ignored an entire border, seeing as though it was covered by what was thought to have been an impenetrable forest. However, Rommel led an entire Panzer Army through said forest and outflanked an entire nation, killing that notion."

"That may be," Crìsdean said, entering the room, "However it will merely be those that were assigned to Squad Seven that will join you on this mission."

Joseph stood at attention and snapped a salute to his old commander, which he returned, "Good to see you settling in Jman," Crìsdean remarked before turning to Welkin, "I'll be joining you on the ground this mission, the rest of the Air Force can cover the Army and I apparently left a sour taste in Damon's mouth after our last meeting."

Welkin raised an eyebrow and Crìsdean explained, "In our last meeting, he trying to 'convince' me and other members of the German and British Joint Command that we should drop our support of the Militia and solely support the Army, as well as surrender our planes to them, and I told him where he could stick his 'suggestion' and his feather."

Joseph shook his head while Welkin and the others couldn't believe that Crìsdean had actually said that, well, at least until Joseph spoke, "You crazy Irish men, I'll never understand you lot."

Crìsdean scoffed, "Bah, didn't get any more heated them back home, Pa was an Irish Green and Ma was a Scottish Orange after all," he muttered. When everyone gave him an odd look, he explained, "Greens were Catholics and Oranges were Protestants, different denominations of Christianity, the major religion back home. I just happened to be in a household where family reunions were either separate or a war-zone."

Alicia gasped, "Surely it wasn't that bad."

Crìsdean sighed, "Lassy when the Irish weren't killing an enemy in war, they were killing each other. It is about as close you can get to a civil war without having a war going on."

That gave everyone food for thought before Crìsdean refocused them on the mission at hand, "It is likely that the Imperials will attempt to either fortify their bases or begin to pull out, we must be ready for both."

Welkin nodded, "Agreed, surely they must know that we are coming, therefore, we must prepare for the worst," he remarked before turning to Largo and Alicia, "Prepare everyone for woodland combat, I want the squad ready to move out in an hour!"

Largo and Alicia nodded and left, though not before Alicia handed back the briefing folder and gave Welkin a quick peck on the cheek.

Crìsdean smirked as Isara and Joseph walked out, "Those two may not realise it yet, but she draws strength from him, as does he from her."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "Draw strength how?" he asked.

Crìsdean rubbed his chin, "Whatever happened last week at Vasel traumatised the girl, yet for whatever reason, she's comfortable around Joseph," he remarked before looking at Welkin, "I tell you this as Joseph's friend, but I recommend a hands-off approach, she just might clam up further if you drive him away."

Welkin raised an eyebrow and looked at Crìsdean, "Why would I drive him away? He's been nothing but the perfect gentleman to my little sister."

Crìsdean sighed, "A man possessed by love is a beast nothing can stop," he murmured, growing distant, remembering something from his past before refocusing on the present, "If he finds out what happened to Isara, then there's not a snowball's chance in hell that he'll back down from a confrontation," he remarked before looking at Welkin, "Though I suspect you'll be beside him if that happens."

Welkin's face was an answer enough for Crìsdean, as a small part of him almost felt sorry for the buggers, almost.

* * *

Joseph, Isara, Alicia and Largo stood by Edelweiss, all ready to go once the others showed up. Something was on Largo's mind and so turned to the resident expert on the matter, "Hey Joseph, two questions for you!" he called.

Joseph popped his head out of the commander's hatch, helping Isara with some last-minute adjustments to Edelweiss, and looked at Largo, "Shoot."

Largo shrugged, "Why did Commander McAllen call you Jman when he came into the briefing?"

Joseph chuckled, "It's not that difficult, it happens to be my squadron call-sign, something I was able to do after I became an Ace," he remarked. Seeing the questioning faces, he continued, "An Ace is someone who gets five confirmed aerial kills, something that was rather difficult during our war."

Alicia raised an eyebrow, but it was Isara who asked the question, "Why was that?"

Joseph sighed, "The German pilots were damn good, my boys in the Number One Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron bled over the skies of London, suffering many casualties for little gain," he murmured before his face fell, "Three dead, thirteen others in various degrees of wounded, all in about fifty days and we probably only managed about ten or so of the thirty we claimed. I didn't become an Ace until after the Battle of Britain and I had transferred to the _HMS Illustrious_ and began operations with Crìsdean's 894 Squadron while occasionally flying with the 847 Squadron of strike fighters," he finished. Then he looked at Largo, "What was the second question Largo?"

"Why did Crìsdean look haunted when he talked about his home?" he asked.

Joseph grimaced, while he knew the reason, he also knew that Crìsdean wouldn't be happy if the story got out. Finally, he answered, "Let's just say that his home holds so many painful memories that when our war broke out, he became the youngest person in the entire military."

Largo shrugged, "So, you guys seem to be mostly in your thirties, what does it matter…"

Joseph interrupted him, "That war had begun five years ago and he has just turned seventeen."

That quieted everyone, they knew that where the British and Germans came from, the only people who could enlist were men above the age of eighteen, so for Crìsdean to have joined at the age of twelve, something had to have been fishy. However, no one said anything as the rest of the squad came as did Welkin and Crìsdean, and so Welkin gave the order to move out.

* * *

They marched all day, pulling the same trick that they had done on the way to Vasel where members of the infantry would ride the tanks as the Army was still being stingy with their trucks. When they finally called it a night, Welkin looked at his map, by his estimates, they were about another day, at best, from their objective. Joseph already had a good fire started and Isara, Largo, Alicia and Crìsdean were sitting by it when he walked up, "Everyone settled for the night?" he asked as he sat on a log next to Alicia, noting that Isara and Joseph were sitting quite close to each other and that Joseph had unconsciously wrapped his arm around her.

Crìsdean nodded, "Aye sir, all tucked in and ready for tomorrow," he replied, before looking around himself, "You know, sort of reminds me of home."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Crìsdean smirked, "Ah, laddie, we weren't called 'The Emerald Isle' for nought; plains, forests, brooks, we had it all," he remarked before a sour look settled on his face, "Even with the damn IRA mucking everything up."

None of the Gallians knew what he was talking about and Joseph looked as if he had a vague idea, but Crìsdean shook his head, "Bah, can take Ireland from the man, but can't take the Irish out of the man, you got your guitar Jman?"

Joseph grinned, pulling something out from behind him, "I was hoping you'd ask for it Crìs."

Crìsdean smirked before taking it from his hands and strumming a few chords before getting into a song, "_The minstrel boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death you'll find him; His fathers sword he has girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him. 'Land of song!' said the warrior bard, 'Though all the world betrays thee, One sword at least thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!' The minstrel fell! But the foreman's chain Could not bring that proud soul under; The harp he loved ne'er spoke again For he tore is chords asunder; And said 'no chains shall sully thee, Thou soul of love and bravery! Thy songs were made for the pure and free, They shall never sound in slavery'.'Land of song!' said the warrior bard, 'Though all the world betrays thee, One sword at least thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!'_"

Everyone looked at Crìsdean, amazed at his talent, and stunned into silence. Finally, Isara spoke up, "That was beautiful Commander, where did you learn to sing like that?"

Crìsdean grimaced and looked down, tears filling his eyes. At first, everyone thought that he wouldn't answer, and Isara was about to retract her question when he spoke up, "A girl named Catherine McClellan, she and I were close before she was killed."

Of all the possible answers, that had been at the bottom of everyone's list, if they had even thought of the possibility at all. Not even Joseph knew the whole story, but by the end of the night, he would.

It was as if every barrier Crìsdean had built over the years had shattered as a flood of words fell out of his mouth, "We were both only eight at the time, living in Athlone, a small town far from the border, so we had never had to worry about the bloody Irish Republican Army until that damn day. Cat and I were in the field near her home, I took any chance I could to escape my home and a picnic with her was the perfect excuse," he said through the tears. "Then some IRA thugs came from behind us and while one held me down, probably thinking that I was her brother or something, his friends took turns defiling her before shooting her."

Everyone gasped, shocked that Crìsdean had endured such pain at such a young age, but he continued, "Her parents found us hours later, I was still cradling Cat's cold dead body and covered in her blood. I've been told that the first words I spoke after that were to answer the recruiter's questions when I enlisted with the RNAF four years later."

Silence reigned for a moment, only shattered on Crìsdean losing full control and breaking into full sobs. It was several minutes later when he regained control of his emotions and he smiled weakly, "Sorry about that, I normally have a tighter grip on my emotions."

Alicia smiled internally, from how he spoke, he had never told anyone what troubled him before so once he had gotten going, he couldn't stop himself until it all came out.

What happened next was just as unexpected. Isara looked down for a moment before starting to speak, "You're not the only one who has been traumatized," she whispered, "General Damon and his goons…"

Realising that this was the cause of Isara's quietness for the past week, Joseph squeezed her hand, offering his support. Isara leaned into him, drawing support from his presence before continuing, "They… they raped me." she cried.

At that, the forest was silent, save for the animals making their usual noises and for Isara's sobs. It was several minutes later, nearly a half an hour in fact, when Joseph spoke up, "He's living on borrowed time."

Everyone looked at him, but before he could explain, Welkin spoke up, "Agreed," he remarked before standing, "I'll contact Captain Varrot so she can start working on finding out who the others were, then justice will be served."

A dark look passed over Welkin's face, one that was mirrored by Joseph, "Hopefully they'll serve it for years to come."

No one said a word, all privately hoping that Welkin would be right, but Alicia knew that the General wouldn't go down without a fight. Though how bloody it would be was what concerned her. Only later would she learn that her worries would be well justified, well after the point by which she could do anything about it, and only when the only thing she could do, would be to pray…

* * *

_**Well, Chapter 7 is finally up. Between Christmas, New Years and a surgery that my grandfather had to go through, it's honestly a miracle I got this chapter up when I did, much less now because of school restarting for me and I have 2 Psychology classes this term. I also have a correction to an earlier AN: last chapter I said that Ekkehard Krauss had been requested by a user called Yoshinon of Discord and while that was technically correct, Yoshinon no longer "exists" instead being the user Koph of Discord.**_

_**Now, onto the reviews. Firstly, thank you all for your reviews and your kind words. Cpt. Lynx, I've got a German member of my Discord, so I'll probably run phrases by him and as for the romance, it was excruciatingly slow in the game so I took Author's prerogative and sped it up with a hopefully believable backstory, and as for Rommel, he has command of all German ground forces, but he is leading from the front (something we'll see during the Barious episode).**_

_**This next one is going to be a bit of an information dump, but as the relevant person left several reviews at once, here we go. AmethystPone remarks the following main points: The High Command are Arseholes, this seems like a revamp of an older dead story, in-game the gun of Edelweiss is 82mm but referenced in lore as an 88mm, mentioned the infantry weapons the Gallians used, the fact that Edelweiss has a tank autoloader, VC's hoshposh of tech, someone stealing Welkin's spotlight, Rosie's character development in-game, Isara's death scene, that they felt that I was bashing Noche and Isara, Romance was a bit fast and about 422. I replied via PM which I shall not repeat verbatim as 1) it is very long, and 2) spoilers. However, the gist of it was as follows in the above order: I figured that other commanding officers in the Army would probably be similar in temperament to Damon, I began writing this story not long after reading Iron Cross Alliance and wasn't happy about its dead status, I figured that the fact that the gun of Edelweiss is 82 in-game is because you can upgrade it, the infantry elements of the equipment was taken care of in a throwaway line in chapter 2, I figured Edelweiss had an autoloader as otherwise Isara would have had to have been loading, firing, driving, as well as being a midwife is just impossible and I was told that in the Anime Welkin stands out of the turret and orders it to fire, VC really does have a hoshposh of tech, I wasn't sure what they meant about someone stealing the spotlight from Welkin though the end blurbs at the end of each episode would explain that it was about Squad 7 and it's allies, that with the situation I built, no respectible CO would let Rosie's disrespect slide, that I was changing what would happen in that scene, Noche was a story device to show that the squad wasn't invincible, Isara wasn't being bashed (she's my favourite character in franchise) but plot demanded what happened to her. Romance was moving as fast as I needed it to for plot and as for 422, I'm working out how to handle them.**_

**_Phew, now that's out of the way, whe_**_**n Crìsdean sings The Minstrel Boy, I used the John McDermott version, hence the repeat in the song, so imagine that one, it's on YouTube.**_

_**With that, until next time!**_


	8. Episode II: Part 2

The next morning came without any fanfare, most of the others of Squad Seven didn't know why their commanders were grim-faced, a few guessed that Isara had spilt on what had happened to her before the second half of the Battle of Vasel, but no one was sure. All they did know was that today would be the day of battle and they better be prepared for it since the only help from their foreign alliance was Crìsdean and Joseph, fighter pilots turned infantrymen.

As they were walking towards the reported camp, Welkin noticed something and brought them to a halt and dismounted from Edelweiss.

As he crouched down in the grass, he could hear the scoffs of some of the others, but ignored them, only looking up when Alicia approached, "Welkin? What is it?" she asked.

Welkin stood up, "Animal droppings, deer or elk if I had to lay a guess, meaning there's a trail near here that we might be able to use to outflank the Empire."

Before Alicia could respond, they heard a rustle from the tall grass. Alicia, and half of the squad, had their rifles up in record time. However, Alicia was the one who called out, "Come out with your hands up!"

None of them were expecting what happened though, as a piglet waddled out and oinked at them. Alicia was the first to recover from the shock, "A pig?"

Welkin chuckled, "A Porcavian Piglet to be exact. I'll see if I can't find it's mother."

Walking into the dense grass, Welkin didn't get far before turning around. "Welkin?" Alicia asked, "What is it?"

Welkin grimaced in reply, "Looks like his mother was hit by a stray bullet."

Alicia's heart went out to the piglet as she stooped down and picked him up, "Looks like you've become an orphan too." she mumbled.

Welkin's heart went out to her, nearly shattering when he heard the pain in her voice as she said that. For a brief second, he could see the pain in her eyes as yet another was resigned to be parentless. Quickly coming to a decision, Welkin spoke up, "Well Alicia? Does he want to come along?"

Alicia looked at Welkin with hope in her eyes, "Do you really mean it Welks?"

Welkin smiled, "Of course! It's every Gallian's duty to defend their home, this little guy has just as much right as any of us."

Alicia smiled as she pet the piglet, offering reassurance to it. For his part, the piglet seemed quite happy following them and, when the column started moving again, joined Welkin and Isara in the Edelweiss, though when he tried to burrow into Isara's shawl, she, quite rightly, objected, though didn't when he laid in her lap.

* * *

Soon, they found their base and set up for the assault. Joseph, Alicia, Largo and Edy would head along the small footpath that would put them in the middle of the enemy base by their estimates, while Welkin would take the rest and knock on the front door. When Welkin said it like that, Crìsdean asked the obvious question, "How does one knock with a tank?"

No one really had an answer for the flyboy, but they understood the objective and set about their tasks.

It started out rather simply, Welkin got the Imperial's attention with Edelweiss and while Catherine made short work of the infantry, Audrey and Elysse disabled the light tank with ease. Meanwhile, the footpath troops quickly decommissioned an enemy camp on the opposite bank of a small lake from the main base and entered the main camp with little trouble.

It was then that it happened. Just as Joseph poked his head out from behind one of the tents, he just as quickly darted it back, "Massive tank ahead, looks like the Lupus from Isara's booklet on the enemies' tanks," he muttered.

Largo grimaced, "That's not good, there's nowhere I can put my lance for it to be effective if it is."

Thinking for a moment, Joseph had an idea he had heard about from some of the blokes back home, "Give me covering fire, I've got an idea."

Alicia looked at him wearily, not sure what he was planning, "What are you thinking Joseph?" she asked.

Joseph grew a lopsided grin, "Nothing you'll like ma'am, but it's all I got." he replied before looking at the others, "We ready?"

At their nods, he grinned, "Good, follow me, but take cover and take down any infantry."

Stepping out, Joseph took off at a run towards the Lupus, while the others took down as many of the infantry as possible. For a moment, Alicia was worried that the tank would fire it's cannon and obliterate Joseph, but he seemed to anticipate when the gun fired, and sidestepped just in time to make the shell miss and continue on his path.

Climbing up the side of the Lupus, Joseph wrenched open the commander's hatch and held his grenade up. The officer looked up in surprise as Joseph shouted "Out of the tank or stay in while I throw this in with you! Hop to it!"

Jumping, the officer stood up with his hands up and looked around, "All units! Stand down! I repeat! Stand down!" he shouted.

After that, all the Imperials still in the base that were fighting threw down their weapons and began coming out with hands above their heads. Clipping the grenade to his belt, Joseph looked back and saw the astonished faces on Largo and Edy, and the look of exasperation on Alicia's. Smirking and shaking his head, Joseph jumped down and turned towards the sounds of an engine, seeing Edelweiss rolling up, he winced, hoping that he wasn't in for the rollicking of a lifetime.

When Welkin stood up out of Edelweiss, he raised an eyebrow, "Where'd you learn that Joseph?" he asked.

Joseph shrugged, "Heard about it from some of the boys back home." he remarked before thinking for a moment, "A sufficiently determined force of infantry can disable enemy armour quite effectively." he quoted before shrugging again, "Besides, years of dancing in the sky left me uniquely qualified to dodge shells."

Welkin rolled his eyes, "Just warn us next time. I had to stop Isara from bailing on Edelweiss to run towards you," he replied before slumping against the hatch, "As-is, she settled for flooring it."

As Welkin said that, Isara stood up out of her hatch with an unamused expression on her face. As soon as Largo saw her, even he gulped, then chose to turn to Joseph and, in a mock stage-whisper, asked, "Any instructions on how to bury you?"

Even the Imperials flinched when they saw her. One turned to the officer that had ordered the surrender and whispered, "Why did we think we could win against __that__?" to which the officer just shrugged, unsure how to respond to that question.

Joseph, however, hadn't said anything. Hoping that Isara wouldn't be too pissed, he walked up to her. It wasn't until he was standing in front of him that she acted, and in a way that neither Welkin nor Joseph were expecting. She yanked his head down to her level, down an entire foot, and with no hesitation on her part, brought her lips to his and kissed him.

Everyone was stunned, though some of the girls were slightly envious, no one was more surprised then Joseph himself, though thankfully for him, he retained just enough higher brain function to listen to the part of his brain that was screaming at him "Kiss her back you idiot! Let her know you love her!" and kissed her back.

It took them a moment before they broke apart for air. When they did, it was then that they noticed that most of the others were either cheering, clapping or both, Welkin smiled at them before handing Alicia a ten Ducat note. Then they noticed that Largo also had a ten Ducat note in his hand and was walking over to where Alicia and Welkin were. Joseph looked down at Isara, "I get the feeling that your brother and his Godfather made a bet with Alicia and they lost," he murmured.

It was then that Crìsdean made his presence known to the couple as he snorted, "Welkin, Largo, Alicia, Juno, Susie, Edy, Lynn and myself you mean." he remarked before shaking his head, "And here I thought it would take you two at least a half a year before you stopped dancing around each other."

However, before either of the couple could reply, Captain Varrot walked up and took in the scene, "I'm guessing Corporal Gunther and Commander Hernandez finally stopped dancing around each other?" she asked. When everyone started to nod, Varrot sighed dramatically, "Dammit!" she cried before turning to Alicia, "You'll find your winnings in your next pay-check Sergeant."

Turning to Joseph and raising an eyebrow, almost a challenge to the couple to ask why she of all people had been betting on their love life, Captain Varrot then looked at the Imperials, "Which of you is the highest-ranked officer?" she asked.

The officer from before raised his hand, "General Radi Jaeger at your service ma'am."

Hearing that, it was only Varrot's training that kept her from showing just how shocked she was. Instead, she adjusted her glasses and looked at the General, "Well then, any conditions I should know about?" she asked.

One of the members of the tank crew snorted and Jaeger chuckled, "Perhaps just keep us away from the scary Darcsen lady and we'll give you what we can."

Isara turned a bright red and buried her head in Joseph's chest, something he would never complain about, as Varrot raised an eyebrow, "Scary Darcsen lady?"

Welkin chuckled, "Isara was pretty pissed with Joseph after he jumped on the enemy tank, __after__ dodging enemy small arms fire and a tank shell and wrenched open the commander's hatch and threatened to throw a live grenade in with them if they didn't surrender." he remarked.

Isara, head still hidden in Joseph's chest could only mumble, "I didn't want him to get hurt."

Welkin smirked, "Which then led Isara to grab Joseph and kiss him for all he was worth." he finished before looking at Joseph, a slight threat in his eyes.

To his credit, Joseph understood that if he hurt Isara, he'd be a dead man, but also knew that it would never come to that. He knew this wasn't a fling, and considering Isara kissed him, he was also certain that she felt the same.

However, before Varrot could question any further, a private ran up, "Captain! An urgent message from General Rommel! He says that most of the Gallian Army has been defeated and is requesting back-up at Barious!"

Varrot frowned, as did Jaeger, both officers thinking about what happened. Varrot wasn't surprised that Damon managed to screw up something that he should have been able to handle, even with his idiocy. Jaeger meanwhile feared the worst, knowing that the Gallian allies were no slouches, '__even if the Gallian Regulars left a lot to be desired__' he thought, they __should __have been able to handle the forces Maximilian took with him and Selvaria. It was then that a terrible thought hit him '__what if she's had no choice but to awaken her powers?__'

Quickly coming to a decision, Jaeger spoke up, "Forgive me Captain, but if I'm right, and I pray to every deity that I'm wrong, then you'll need more then the Militia troops you have here."

Varrot narrowed her eyes at Jaeger, really hoping that he wasn't suggesting what she thought he was suggesting, "What do you have in mind?" she asked cautiously.

Jaeger flashed his most flirtatious smile, "Allow me and my men to join you, or just me if my men make you uncomfortable."

Varrot sighed, he was suggesting what she thought he had been suggesting. Unfortunately for her, it sounded like a good idea, though the flirtatious smile was getting on her nerves, and from the looks of it, on Largo's as well. Finally, she spoke, "Fine, you'll go, but under the direct supervision of Lieutenant Gunther."

Jaeger inclined his head slightly, "Of course," he murmured.

Varrot then turned to Joseph and Crìsdean, "I need you in the skies gentlemen, the Empire seems to have gotten their own Air Force and things aren't looking good over Barious."

Joseph turned to Crìsdean, "Barracudas?" he asked.

Crìsdean thought for a moment before nodded, "We'll need a gunner for yours though, Sid was WIA a week ago when a tank shell hit his Seafire, he hasn't quite recovered yet."

"I'll do it." a confident Isara replied.

Crìsdean and the others raised an eyebrow, "While shooting the gun of a tank is the same in principle, I'd argue that you're more useful here on the ground." he remarked before chuckling, "Besides! Who'd drive Edelweiss?"

Isara shrugged, "Karl," she replied before turning to said engineer, "You break my baby, you're dead." she threatened.

Considering she was using the same glare she had used on Joseph on Karl, he cowed quickly, "Okay! She won't have a scratch!"

Seeing that, Varrot leaned over to Largo's ear, "I see what had those Imperials spooked." she whispered before thinking a moment, "I don't recall her ever having that in her arsenal before, what gives?"

Largo shrugged, "Search me, maybe Damon and his goons did more then she's told us and she's not about to take any crap from anyone anymore."

Varrot blinked, "Damon and his goons? What are you talking about Largo?"

Largo sighed, "Something that will have to be read in Welkin's report I'm afraid, I can't talk about it just yet, Eli."

It was only because Captain Varrot had known Largo for so long that she accepted his explanation, knowing that it had to be very bad for him to clam up.

Watching as Isara smugly turned back to Crìsdean, and seeing him throw up his hands in surrender, she knew that she had won. Varrot just hoped that she'd be alright with her new boyfriend…

* * *

****With the capture of General Jaeger, Gallia had unknowingly gained a new ally, something that would only become apparent in the coming battle in the deserts of Barious, where Squad Seven and their friends would encounter the true threats to Gallia's future. But it would be the victory at the base in the Kloden Woodlands that would start the machines of Propaganda; no one was spared. Lieutenant Gunther would be called "The next coming of Belgan" (as if the fact that one was the father of the other wasn't enough for the lad). Commander Hernandez would also be used by Gallian Propaganda, becoming "The Hero With No Fear" overnight. But it was how they would handle Isara Gunther that would set things in motion for the young couples of Squad Seven. For she would receive the moniker "The Flower of Gallia" for her display of Romance on the battlefield.****

****(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)****

* * *

**_Well, Chapter eight finally done, it's been a bit hectic over here what with the start of a new term, but I'm glad I finally got this done._**

**_Well then, reviews: AmethystPone, yeah, I've heard both versions and prefer the one for the English ending, though I still prefer other forms of it. As for when the Regular Army got nuked, I cheered for the death of Damon but was slightly sad about Selvaria's death._**

**_GJO1088, I have plans for Damon, Selvaria was one the characters I was referring to when I said that some characters would probably be OOC and as for the reality check, I've both done and have somethings in mind things that give a reality check to the game, but at the end of the day, this is a fanfic of a game and as I mentioned on my Discord once, you have a choice when writing something like this, stick as close to the source material as possible, or go as real as possible (Though I referred to it as [Anime|Logic] pick one)_**

**_Well depending on how things go, I'm hoping to get another chapter out by the end of the month, we'll have to see._**

**_Next Time: Barious_**


	9. Episode III

Crìsdean, Joseph and Isara had loaded into a truck and had shot off to Randgriz. In the meanwhile, the rest of the Third Regiment made a beeline for Barious. While Welkin hoped that they would be in time, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, though most of his unease came from the man in his tank.

For his part, the former General Jaeger had shut his eyes. Though he looked as calm as could be on the outside, internally, he was very worried. Recalling what Selvaria had said to him the week before, Jaeger was truly worried about what she had meant by that and couldn't help but think of when he had meddled in her squad, something that he rarely did. However, considering what it had given her, he doubted she would object if she found out about it now.

It was when the tank suddenly stopped that he was yanked from his introspection, "Lieutenant? What is it?" he asked.

Welkin didn't say anything for a moment, looking intently out of his command slits, before he spoke, "Our German friends are ahead, hopefully, we'll be able to be briefed before the Empire attacks."

Jaeger nodded, "Probably, Prince Maximilian is many things, but being a brilliant strategist is not one of them."

Welkin chose not to say anything to that remark, filing it away for later, and instead stood out of his hatch and jumped out, Jaeger following a second later.

Rommel stood near one of his tanks, a Panzer IV by the looks of it, with a map of the area and several officers huddled around it, "…so, we hope that the witch gives us enough time to recover and that we get more air cover than last time, hopefully with some experienced pilots this time and not just green Gallians."

Welkin blinked, "Witch?" he asked.

Rommel nodded, "Yes, Witch. She decimated Damon's 'Armoured Corps' with ease." he replied before scoffing, "His Corps couldn't match Ekkehard pulling an El Alamein again in a Panzer III, much less an enemy army."

Welkin raised an eyebrow at the reference, but didn't say anything about it, instead choosing to focus on the larger matter at hand, "How much of the Regulars are left and what of the Commanders of their force?"

Rommel snorted, "None and fled, in that order," he replied before gesturing around him, "We're all that's left."

Welkin rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on, though he shouldn't have expected anything less from Damon. However, it was Jaeger who spoke up, "What of your Air Force?"

Rommel blinked before looking to Welkin, "Lieutenant? Who is this man?"

Welkin sighed, "General Rommel, meet former General Jaeger of the Imperial Army, he surrendered to us a few hours ago."

The two men shared a look, each vaguely thinking that they knew the other, but unsure from where or why. Finally, they broke the stare and Rommel answered, "All of our pilots were fresh recruits from the newly formed Royal Gallian Air Force, not a single person from the RNAF had gone up. Of those thirty or so, none survived." he said before looking at Jaeger, "I was under the impression that the Empire hadn't invested in an Air Force."

Jaeger shrugged, "After defeating a force to the far east that had an Air Force, the Emperor had thought the matter unimportant, that is, until you showed up here in Gallia it seems."

Rommel nodded before gesturing to the map, "We estimate about 50 to 80 Imperial Fighter craft, a mix of twin and single-wing designs and maybe 20 to 30 Strike craft, all twin wing designs."

Welkin shook his head, he knew that the RGAF had just formed and only had one "combat-capable" squadron of twelve fighters, facing about a hundred other planes and it was no surprise they got shredded. It was then that he asked the all-important question, "How many of the experienced fighters are we getting to cover us now?"

Rommel actually grimaced, "Three."

Welkin's eyebrows shot into his hairline, "How are three fighters supposed to be able to win against a hundred?" he shouted.

Rommel sighed, "We're stretched thin as is, we have to make do with what we have or not at all." he replied.

Jaeger brought his mind back to something Rommel had said earlier, "General, when you saw this 'witch' did she have long silver hair and red eyes?" he asked.

Rommel thought for a moment, "Well, it was kind of hard to see with all of the flames, destruction and in particular, the blue flames that seemed to be attached to her, but yes, now that you mention it she did. Why?"

Jaeger winced, "Blast, that means there's a Valkyria on the field."

Before Rommel could ask about what a Valkyria was, he could hear shouting coming from his soldiers. It took him a moment to figure out what they were saying, but once he did, his face lost all colour, "Scheiße!" he muttered before raising his voice, "Report to Anti-Aircraft positions! Repel the planes!" he barked.

Several explosions rocked the ground, soldiers screamed in pain or shouted for medics and an eerie sound filled the air, a loud whistling sound that caused the Germans to dive for cover, the Gallians followed suit and that seemed to decide who lived and who died. While in truth, it had only been five minutes since General Rommel gave the order to repel the planes, it had felt to every soldier like an hour or more. However, a crackle lit up their radios, "General Rommel? McAllen here, beginning our attack run." Crìsdean reported.

* * *

In the skies, Crìsdean looked over to the two Barracudas on his wings, while he only flew a Seafire, it did feel nice having the heavier firepower that the Barracudas represented. Switching to Squadron Frequency, Crìsdean issued his orders, "Right, we need to get these strikes off of our ground-pounders. Mark! I need you on it. Jman! You go with him, I'll see what I can do about the fighters."

After transmitting his affirmative, Joseph could practically feel the question burning from Isara, "Don't worry Isara, Crìsdean is a master pilot, the only place he is more agile is on the ballroom floor apparently." he remarked before looking back, "Ain't I right Van?"

John Van Burne, their navigator, snorted, "If he'd ever get out on that damn floor of course," he replied before looking back towards Isara, "Your boyfriend is right, Crìsdean dances in the sky, every move takes a few enemies down."

While they had been discussing that, Crìsdean had already downed three fighters and was tangoing with another half dozen, though that number seemed to be on the rise as more and more Imperial fighters broke off from their attacks to deal with this pesky fly. For his part, Crìsdean tuned most of the world out, only paying attention to those enemies still flying, his radio, and a single picture he had posted in his fighter. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to pin that picture of his Catherine in his fighter once they had reached Gallia, perhaps it was so he wouldn't forget where he came from, he wasn't sure, all he knew was that he had a job to do and he would damn the nightmares that would follow him.

* * *

Welkin watched from the ground as he saw a single fighter engage overwhelming odds. Somehow, he just knew it was Crìsdean, or at least he hoped it wasn't Joseph. But he couldn't look up for long as he was soon in his own battle with a massive tank, and none of their weapons seemed to so much as scratch it.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, but in reality, was only minutes, Joseph and Mark had cleared the skies of bombers and turned their attention to the fighters, the 60 odd that remained. Joseph quickly looked over at Mark's plane, "Mark, break off! Head back to Randgriz if you can!"

Mark was barely holding his plane together, as far as he could tell, his engine was starting to die and his windscreen was shot full of holes, "No it's…"

Mark wouldn't get another word in as his engine had been on fire and blew apart, tearing the plane apart and killing all on board instantly. Joseph sighed, "Bugger!"

Van grimaced, "That's not good, though it would have been worst if Crìsdean hadn't given us forward-firing guns."

Joseph rolled his eyes, but focused on the task at hand, "Crìs, coming in, half load on the rear and full up on quad forwards."

Crìsdean grunted, "Roger, get over here, I've got most of them focused on me. Give 'em hell!"

While Joseph and Isara began tearing up what they could, Crìsdean was firing very little, instead, recognising that the Imps were very green and using that to his advantage. The occasional burst would get them focused on him, but they would completely forget about their wingmen, leading to several mid-air collisions between Imperial pilots.

About a half an hour after the first shots between aircraft were fired, the air grew still, no Imperial pilots remained airborne while Crìsdean and Joseph were still flying. It was then that they noticed a lone woman off their right-wing, standing in front of many Imperial troops and a massive tank holding what seemed to be some sort of lance and shield. Joseph looked at the Seafire, "Boss? What is that about?"

Crìsdean shrugged, "No clue, but she's with the Imps. Prep your bombs, I'll strafe."

Joseph acknowledged and began to bank to engage when a massive explosion rocked the plane and he could feel the heat, "Isara! You good?" he shouted.

"I'm fine!" she hollered back.

Joseph sighed in relief before looking back again "Van?" he asked. When he got no response, he knew it was bad. Worst still, the plane was starting to be uncooperative. Quickly he weighed the options and came to a decision, "Isara! I'm going to prime the four bombs we have! Then I'll set the plane on a crash course with the enemy tank! As soon as I give the word, we're bailing!"

Isara shivered, the cold air made it difficult to move her fingers but she wrapped them around her bail cord, "Ready!" she replied.

Crìsdean cussed, "Cacamas, that must be the witch! Her lance thing shot a freaking beam of light at you and it took most of your middle out!"

Joseph was incensed "¡No se merecía esto de puta, te atraparé por esta perra! ¡Nadie toca mi avión, aparte de Isara!"

Crìsdean raised an eyebrow, he had a basic understanding of Spanish and had understood a little of what Joseph had said, "You kiss Isara with that mouth?" he replied.

Joseph's anger had not dissipated one iota, "¡Señor, con el debido respeto, vete a la mierda! ¡Ella lastimó mi avión, nadie lastima mi avión y se sale con la suya!"

Crìsdean rolled his eyes, slightly amused with Joseph's antics, but he could see that he wouldn't stay in the air for long, "You need to bail! Now!" he ordered.

By this time, Joseph had the plane set on a crash course with the Imperial tank, "One second!" he replied.

Crìsdean shook his head, "Ifreann fuilteach, cén fáth a bhfaigheann mé na cinn stuama?" he muttered. However, before he could order Joseph to bail, he saw the parachutes of Isara and Joseph deploy and their plane slam into the massive tank, causing a massive fireball.

Down on the ground, Welkin positioned Edelweiss to be near where the parachutes would land, much to his relief, Isara was in one of them. Rommel quickly joined them as Joseph and Isara touched the ground. After quickly running a critical eye over Isara, Joseph turned to Rommel, "I take it that was the witch you mentioned in your dispatch?"

Rommel nodded, "Yes, though I didn't know about the beam lance thing."

Joseph raised an eyebrow and Rommel explained, "When he encountered that witch, the 'Noble-General' Damon shat his pearly pink panties and beat a hasty retreat in the general direction of Randgriz."

Rommel didn't miss the looks of utter hate on Joseph's and Welkin's faces or the look of concern on Isara's when he mentioned Damon and knew that there was a story to be told but figured it wasn't one they were looking forward to telling, so let it slide. Joseph though made a comment, "Well, regardless of ¡El bastardo idiota!" he said, spitting out the Spanish with vitriol, "We need a new plan because I can't keep yeeting planes in her general direction when she comes on the battlefield."

Rommel looked at Joseph curiously, "I am familiar with many words in your language Joseph, but what does 'yeeting' mean?"

Joseph flushed a bright red and rubbed the back of his head, "Um, I just came up with it to replace lobbing or chucking." he responded.

Rommel blinked a few times before shaking his head and looking at Welkin, "We can probably handle clean-up here, you can get back to the Kloden woodlands."

Welkin nodded before gesturing to Jaeger, "You can keep him, I'm sure he'd come in handy."

Jaeger nodded and Rommel agreed then watched Squad Seven rolled out in the direction they came from. He knew that soon, he'd be getting a story from Captain Varrot, but concerned himself with the clean-up of Barious…

* * *

****With the defeat of Prince Maximilian in the deserts of Barious, Squad Seven showed that the Imperial Command was not unbeatable, though the Valkyria they faced was cause for concern. Commander McAllen would prove to be a force on the battlefield and off it as well, being called "The King of the Sky" and "The Blue Baron of Gallia" by the press, much to the man's consternation, even though he wouldn't share his reasons why. It would be General Rommel, however, who would get the most attention from the Barious campaign, being dubbed "The Desert Fox" by the press for his dogged defence of the desert structure known as "The Temple of the Valkrur" until reinforcements from the Gallian Militia's Third Regiment could arrive and who would receive letters from the public, requesting that he take command of the Gallian Army, even Her Highness, Princess Cordelia, would receive letters asking for her to replace General Damon as Gallia's Commander-in-Chief with General Rommel. The Germans and the British were slowly becoming integrated with the Gallian people and Armed Forces, but they were determined to ensure that Gallia would not have to stand alone ever again, even if the other powers of Europa caught up to their technology…****

****(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)****

* * *

_**Phew, Chapter 9 finally up, my classes are going well, and I think I have the remainder of the fic planned out.**_

**_In covering the reviews, I should mention that in regards to AmethystPone's review, I admit that "Wake-up call" was a poor turn of phrase, instead, I should have said that the Gallians would see/know that the Empire is not above committing atrocities and certain scenes would be expanded upon with the inclusion of our German friends. And I will do my utmost to ensure that the Romance of the franchise is maintained or even expanded._**

**_Translations, because there were a few:_**

**_Scheiße/_**_**Cacamas: Shit-German and Irish Gaelic respectively.**_

**_¡No se merecía esto de puta, te atraparé porestaperra! ¡Nadie toca mi avión, aparte de Isara!: _****_You fucking bitch! Hurting my beautiful plane like that, I'll get you for this you whore! No one touches my plane, apart from Isara!-Spanish_**

**_¡Señor, con el debidorespeto, vete a la mierda! ¡Ella lastimó mi avión, nadielastima mi avión y se sale con la suya!: _****_Sir, with all due respect, she hurt my plane! No one hurts my plane and gets away with it!-Spanish_**

**_Ifreann fuilteach, cén fáth a bhfaigheann mé nacinnstuama?: _****_Bloody hell, why do I get the stubborn ones?-Irish Gaelic_**

_**¡El bastardo idiota!: That idiot bastard!-Spanish**_

_**Until next time!**_


	10. Episode IV

With Karl more than happy to vacate the driver's seat of the Edelweiss, they made good time towards the Kloden woodlands. They didn't stop until they reached the base that Ekkehard and his forces had been attacking, finding them loading supplies which the Gallians could use. Ekkehard was the first to notice them, "Afternoon Lieutenant, by our count, we have liberated about thirty thousand rounds of ammunition, four thousand persons worth of daily rations and several barrels of Ragnoline for your tanks and trucks. Medical supplies were sparse but that could very well have been down to the speed which they were defeated allowed them to use some."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "I feel like if we hadn't fought a massive battle with a Valkyria, and convinced a chunk of the Imperial Army to surrender, that might have been the best that anyone had done. Now, it just feels like icing on the cake."

Ekkehard cocked his head to the side, confused on what Welkin was talking about, but choosing not to say anything. Welkin and Alicia looked over the nearby cliff, trying to determine their next move when all of a sudden, a massive explosion rocked their world and suddenly, when Joseph looked for them where he last saw them, they weren't there anymore. Memories from another war flashed in his mind and without even thinking, he ran towards the cliff and, seeing the drop, quickly found an alternate route and took off at a sprint before anyone could stop him.

Ekkehard watched as all of this unfolded. Just as quickly as Joseph, he had analysed the situation and come to his own conclusion, "Everyone!" he shouted, "Prepare for the trip back to Randgriz!"

Largo couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Now hold up!" he growled, "We can't just leave them!"

Ekkehard slowly turned to face Largo, his face bore little patience for what Largo had done, "In my experience, you will lose more men then you rescue, after all, the enemy is near enough to rain artillery down on this position." he replied before shrugging, "If you want to stay and be shelled to pieces, then so be it, me and my men will be heading back to the capital."

With that, the Germans left. The rest of Squad 7 looked at Largo, the man stood still, fists clenched with a look of pure anger on his face. Finally after a few moments, Largo spoke, "Squad 7!" he shouted, "Spread out. Find Lieutenant Gunther, Sergeant Melchiott and Commander Hernandez. Regroup here at dark, we'll pick up the search in the morning, but after that, we've got to go."

With that, the squad rushed off to find their commanders.

* * *

That evening, Welkin woke up, he had no clue how long he had been out for, but that wasn't important right now. Right now, he only thought about finding Alicia and getting back to the squad.

Thankfully for him, his first task was completed when he opened his eyes. Alicia was just starting to stir as he opened his eyes, "Alicia! Anything broken?" he asked.

Alicia slowly stood up, testing her joints before finding something wrong, "My right ankle hurts, but I don't think it's broken."

Welkin managed to stand and was pleased that he was in good working order. Walking over to Alicia, he looked at her ankle, "I think you're right, it's probably just sprained." he remarked before looking up, "We need to find shelter quickly then rejoin with the squad."

Alicia looked at him, "Welkin, what makes you sure that they'll be there?" she asked.

Welkin grimaced, "Between Largo and Isara, they're probably going nuts with concern, though I doubt our German friends will be there."

Before either of them could say another word, the bushes rustled. Spinning around to the noise, they were both relieved to see Joseph walk out of the bush, "You two okay?" he asked.

Nodding, Welkin looked at him, "How far to the squad?"

Joseph sighed, "Too far for one night, and with that ankle Alicia's sporting we need to rest." thinking for a moment, Joseph rubbed his chin, "I saw an abandoned cabin not too far away from here, we could make it since I cleared out the Imperial patrol between us and it."

A small smile graced Alicia's lips, her weight being supported almost fully by Welkin, "Cabin in the woods, if the situation wasn't so dire, it would be quite romantic." she mused.

Welkin smirked, but Joseph stopped his hopes with a bucket of ice water, "Sorry to foil your plans kids, but it's a one-room cabin." he said before turning to them, "No funny business while I'm in the building."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "Oh, that implies you'll be out of the building at some point."

Joseph rolled his eyes, "Well, someone has to make sure no Imps sneak up on us and Alicia's got a bad ankle so I can assume that as the resident botanist, you'll be able to get the herbs to help with that."

Welkin chuckled, "I always have anti-inflammatory herbs with me, just in case I roll my ankle or something like that."

Joseph shook his head, "In any case, I'll make sure to make a lot of noise, just be ready to get dressed quickly."

Both Welkin and Alicia blushed so red, Joseph was surprised they weren't illuminating their surroundings. However, he quickly realized that while they were both blushing, they were both eyeing each other lustfully. Internally groaning that his teasing might not have been that far off the mark, they quickly came upon the cabin in question. While Joseph found a good point to be hidden, but close enough to intercept anyone coming to the cabin, Welkin and Alicia entered the cabin.

Welkin quickly set to work on applying the herbs to Alicia's ankle, a salve of Witch Hazel, Arnica and Lavender handled the swelling and the pain. Looking at her, Welkin asked, "How's that? Any pain?"

Alicia rotated her ankle a bit stiffly at first, but then more naturally, "Not really, those herbs really do help."

Welkin chuckled, "My professor of natural biology said that this particular salve was very useful when his wife was pregnant, helped with the swelling ankles and the pain in her feet."

Alicia blushed at the implication but didn't say anything as they sat on the only bed in the room. Looking at Welkin, she asked a question that had been on her mind a while, "Do you think we'll make it out of this war in one piece?"

Welkin considered his answer carefully. "I want to say that we will without a doubt…" he began.

Alicia interrupted him, "But it's that bad isn't it?"

Welkin nodded, "And it may not even be that we don't survive," he remarked, drawing a look from Alicia, "I'm worried about whether we will suffer some traumatic event that leaves us scarred and changed, and not in a good way…" he finished.

Alicia frowned, "Like with what happened to Crìsdean?" she asked.

Welkin nodded, "That's precisely my concern, who's to say that something doesn't happen that affects us just as badly!" he exclaimed before shuttering, "Or even worse than that."

Alicia shuttered as well; though she couldn't imagine what would be worse then what Crìsdean had endured, she didn't want to even think about the worst of worst-case scenarios. Coming to a decision that she would rather live for the present and the future, but worry about it when it came, she spun so that she was sitting on his lap, "Well, why worry about tomorrow when we still need to get through tonight." she replied before beginning to unbutton her jacket.

Welkin was surprised with her positioning and even more so with her actions. When his brain finally caught up, their jackets laid on the ground and they began a spirited assault on each other's lips in particular, but their faces in general, causing him to surrender to the bliss that he was feeling. Without their responsibilities weighing on them, they quickly discovered that they had quite a bit of stamina, something they would be grateful for later. Soon, they were looking over each other with nary a stitch of clothing on either of them, and they quickly decided that they like what they saw.

Soon, primal instinct took over and neither of them said another word as they became one. At first, Welkin was afraid that he had hurt Alicia as he felt her rather sharp nails dig into his backside. However, she soon urged him onwards, moving in time with him. Neither wanted the moment to end, but neither could they go on forever and, in muffled gasps, they reached their peaks simultaneously. Somehow, they felt that this time was even more special, not just because it was their first time, but for some other reason, though neither could pin it down. Yet, anyways.

Collapsing breathlessly beside Alicia, Welkin took in the sight before him, part of him wondering just how he had gotten so lucky, perhaps Fate played a role, he wasn't sure, but all he did know was that he wanted to spend every waking moment of the rest of his life with the woman beside him.

Laying beside and sort of under Welkin, Alicia knew for certain that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. In the fog that was her brain at that moment, she idly remembered that Joseph had said that they had better be fast dressers, but for that moment, the outside world ceased to exist for her, for all that she cared about was the man she was laying with.

* * *

From outside the cabin, Joseph sighed. Though they had tried to be quiet, Welkin and Alicia hadn't quite managed to keep their activities completely a secret. "Don't act all innocent Mr Hernandez." a female voice said from the night, "You want to do the same activities with Isara."

Spinning around, rifle at the ready, Joseph saw a young woman in a flowing dress hovering above the ground, though the odd part about her beyond that was that her hair was green. "Who the blazes are you?" he exclaimed.

The woman smirked, "Your officers met me before you came to this universe young Joseph and I introduced myself as Lady to them." she replied.

Joseph merely raised a brow, "All Crìs told me was that they met with a very powerful Goddess who brought us here, floating in the air wasn't mentioned."

Lady smirked before letting out a sneeze and setting foot on Gallian soil. Joseph lowered his rifle slightly. "Worry not Joseph, time will not pass so long as I am speaking with you, though I'd appreciate if Welkin would stop mentioning me, it's getting ridiculous having a sneezing fit every morning." she said, putting him slightly more at ease with her actions and confusing him with her words, "You and your friends have done well in the short amount of time you have been here," she remarked before turning her attention to the cabin, "Though _that _is happening a bit ahead of schedule and will be quite interesting to watch unfold…"

Joseph rolled his eyes but looked at the goddess, "I suspect that you're not here for a social call," he replied.

Lady lowered her head, "The Laws of Nature forbid me from giving all the information, but I assure you, the remainder of the war will be hard, not only physically, but psychically as well, even Crìsdean will be hard-pressed to keep it together."

Joseph frowned, he didn't like the vague omen of ill-tidings, however, before he could question her any further, Lady spoke again, "It's the best I can do I'm afraid." she remarked before looking Joseph dead in the eyes, "You will need to have faith in the next few weeks, and trust those around you."

If the previous warning was bad, this just screamed ominous, but Lady faded completely from view before he could ask any questions. Joseph looked around, the breeze rustling the leaves letting him know that time had restarted.

It didn't take long before Joseph heard a twig snap and a few voices, "Come on Ted, only a little further until we get to that cabin I saw, then we can patch that wound up." a female voice said.

Joseph furrowed his brow, the desperation in the woman's voice made it clear that this wasn't a romantic rendezvous, but it was the pain in the man's voice that clued him in, "No Marina, leave me and hurry to the Gallian lines, they'll help you, I'll just slow you down."

While these two had been talking, Joseph began slowly walking to their location and what he found shocked him, two Imperial scouts, the man badly wounded, with no weapons and the woman had shed her armour. Quickly coming to a decision, Joseph readied his rifle, "Hold it right there!" he ordered.

The two Imperials stiffened, since Joseph was to their backs, they were worried that one of their comrades had caught up with them. Joseph, however, had other ideas than to terrorise Imperial deserters, "Are you armed?"

The woman shook her head, "No sir." she whispered, still thinking that it was an Imperial who stopped them. She was hoping that he would at least make it quick.

Joseph nodded to himself, "Then, in that case, you'll have to let me lead the way to that cabin," he replied, "If only so that the occupants are fully clothed when we enter."

Both the Imperials dared a look at him and their shock was palpable, but Joseph kept them moving, "Quickly now, your friend is badly hurt, I'm surprised that he's made it this far."

They soon came upon the cabin, Joseph banged on the door "Oi! Lovebirds! Put your clothes on! Got wounded out here!"

There was a mad shuffling sound that came from inside the cabin. Joseph, for his part, simply rocked on his heels patiently waiting while the Imperials looked at him incredulously. Seeing their expression, Joseph elaborated, "I figured these two would have spent the night pining for each other if I had been in the room, therefore I gave them some space so they would be able to have their first time without intruders."

Before either of the Imperials could remark, the door opened and Welkin guided the injured Imperial to the bed, which was without its sheets for whatever reason, though Joseph had a good guess as to why that was, and began treating his wounds. In the meanwhile, Joseph and Alicia began talking to the female, "So miss, what caused you and your friend to desert from the Imperial Army?" Joseph asked, starting the conversation.

The woman looked down slightly, "Ted and I are… were two of the more tolerant people in the Empire, and when we found out what was going on behind the lines, we were disgusted."

Alicia frowned and asked the obvious question, "And what was that?"

The woman shuttered, "Darcsen Hunts. The Nobles would release Darcsens that had been in lands that the Army had captured into a forest, and hunt them like deer, weapons and all." she replied.

Joseph bit his lips to hold back hit outburst. The woman before him wasn't to blame. As soon as she found out, she tried to run away after all. But the woman didn't stop there, "You need to liberate Fouzen as quickly as possible, General Gregor is in the area and might be there, doing God knows what to the Darcsens that the Empire uses as slave labour."

This infuriated Joseph and he barely kept a lid on his anger, the parallels quite similar to his own situation back home made it difficult to do so, however, and the thunderous expression on his face only served to scare the woman. However, they were saved from continuing the conversation by Welkin, "That should be good for the night, though I'd feel better if we had access to a regulation medkit."

The woman rushed over to his side, thanking Welkin along the way. This allowed Welkin to sit with Joseph and Alicia, but before he could say anything, Joseph spoke up, "You know, be thankful that it was me who found you two, I can only imagine what Largo or, heaven forbid, Isara would have done if they had heard what I heard."

This turned both Alicia and Welkin bright red. Joseph let them stew for a few moments before speaking again, "Don't worry, I won't say anything about this to anyone."

Both Welkin and Alicia let out a sigh of relief. Joseph shook his head but didn't say anything, thinking about Isara and his conversation with Lady. However, they soon settled in for the night, knowing that they would have to fight their way to Squad Seven in the morning.

* * *

With Squad Seven, Largo looked over the camp, starting to be roused from their sleep. He wasn't sure how long they would be able to search for Welkin, Alicia and Joseph, but he figured that they would make their way to them. Juno approached him, "Nothing over the course of the night Sir, though I suspect you already knew that."

Largo nodded, "I know Welkin is a resourceful lad, so he probably hunkered down for the night," he remarked, "Besides, we don't know how injured Melchiott was."

Juno nodded before looking at Edelweiss. Isara sat on top of the tank hull using the gun to keep from falling over, asleep only after Largo had reminded her of her importance to the squad. However, before she could say anything, a sharp whistling could be heard. Largo looked up and saw the tracers, "Artillery fire! Scatter!"

This had the knock-on effect of waking the squad and getting them ready for battle, which was good since after the first shells hit the ground, Imperial troops began their attack. Isara had the Edelweiss engaged with the enemy quickly and the rest of the squad marvelled at how efficiently it could work with only one person manning it.

On the other side of the ravine, Welkin, Alicia, Joseph and their two ex-Imperial friends came upon the artillery emplacement. There were a few soldiers guarding the place and Welkin looked through his binoculars, "Damn, that firebase blocks our access to the other side." he muttered before looking at Joseph, "Thoughts?"

Joseph slid the slide on his rifle forward and brought it up, "Take them down and cross, if we spread out, we should confuse them." he said before looking at the ex-Imperials, "How do you feel about shooting your former comrades?"

Marina looked at Ted and shrugged, "I'll do it, but Ted shouldn't fight yet."

Ted's protests went ignored as Joseph handed Marina a pistol and they split up. Quickly neutralising the firebase with only two shots each, they reconvened and crossed the river.

The battle was fierce and Largo wasn't sure how much longer they could last, wounded were starting to add up, as Gina, Fina and Mina were starting to run low on Ragnaid. He was resorting to using strips of torn uniforms to bind wounds when a group of Imperials fell and no one had fired. Daring a peek, Largo grew a large smile, "Squad Seven! Begin clearing a path for Welkin!"

The squad cheered, glad that Welkin had survived. Soon Joseph, Alicia and their Imperial defectors regrouped with the Squad. "Good to see the squad hasn't imploded during my absence," Welkin remarked before turning to Ted and Marina, "Meet Ted Ustinov and Marina Wulfstan, former Imperials who are defecting to Gallia."

Largo nodded to them before turning his attention back to the forces in front of them. "Too many Imps for a retreat, we're going to have to fight our way out!" he shouted.

Welkin nodded and looked around, "Let's do this Sevens!" he called before running to Edelweiss and slipping in.

The rest of the battle was short in spite of the numbers facing them. The Gallians quickly regrouped and began a quick withdrawal to Randgriz, catching up to Ekkehard and the Germans in short order. Upon their return, many things would happen to them, some welcome, others not so much…

* * *

**Wulfstan and Ustinov would quickly acclimatise with their status as former Imperials, leading to a great deal of intelligence being given to the Gallian High Command. Though many of the Germans wouldn't interact with them at best and with open contempt at worse, General Rommel would personally oversee their questioning and their integration with Squad 7. However, as they would soon discover, the Empire had not been sitting idle while they had been losing battle after battle, and the results of this would leave far-reaching scars on many people, Gallian, German, British and indeed, the rest of the world…**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Well, Chapter 10 finally done. Between life and school, I had suspected that I would have a few updates that would be slower to get out, but life threw a wrench in my plans and I was often unable to work on things.**_

_**Regarding the reviews: both reviews brought up the issue of Imperial Planes, or this "Nation in the far east with an Air Force that the Empire conquered" and while I'm not an expert on the VC Lore, and also do not know what their equivalent of Japan is, it was actually a callback to the first chapter where Captain Lindemann claimed that they had come from the Far East of Imperial territory and was a bit of world-building so the Gallians wouldn't discover the truth. As for Alicia's Valkyria Powers, I can't say one way or the other for plot reasons, but I can say that certain scenes will be modified.**_

_**With that out of the way, I must inform you that I am now also on Archive of Our Own. Earlier this month, one of the users on my Discord channel for Fanfiction Readers and Writers brought a case of one of their stories being flagged for inappropriate content by a user on this site, which considering some of the entries in the Harry Potter Fandom was laughable. This led me to decide that I will be posting stories in tandem on AO3 and in future. After completing this story, I will post new stories on both sites, just because I've been keeping all of my eggs in one basket and I'd rather not have issues of similar or worst proportions happen and I am either unable to post new things to this site under this name, or stories get deleted, despite the last purge being many years ago. Paranoia reigns. My Profile on AO3 is LordPerkins and I currently have no stories on it yet, though that will change in the next few weeks.  
**_

_**Until next time!**_


	11. Interlude II

Upon their return to Randgriz, Crìsdean, Welkin and Faldio were summoned to Captain Varrot's office. Neither man said a word as they entered the office, Faldio might not have known what was going on, but he knew it was bad if both Welkin and Crìsdean looked ready to murder. Especially Welkin as there wasn't much that could get his ire up.

Standing before her desk, Captain Varrot frowned. She hated being left in the dark, but Largo hadn't been forthcoming with any information. "Lieutenants, Commander, I'm hoping you'll be able to shed some light on a matter Largo mentioned briefly to me. Something about General Damon as I recall," she said.

It didn't take much of Isara's story before Varrot had a plan in mind and by the end of it, she knew what to do. "Right, this is what is going to happen. There is a Ball that the Princess is throwing in one week to demonstrate our ties to our German and British friends to the world. I will get approval, but I intend for that Ball to be where we take Damon down."

Faldio quickly realized his purpose as Captain Varrot turned to him, "Lieutenant Landzaat, Squad One will be the ones to arrest him, I'd have Squad Seven do it but it would be seen as a conflict of interests." she remarked before turning to Welkin, "However, the Princess has requested that the officer of Squad Seven be present at the ball."

Before Welkin could groan, she raised her hand, "You also get a plus one as well as the company of Commander McAllen, Oberleutnant Krauss and Commander Hernandez and their plus ones should they have any."

Seeing that Welkin had tuned out after finding out that he could bring Alicia, Crìsdean looked at Captain Varrot, "Assume that it goes to hell, what's the worst-case scenario we're looking at?"

Varrot sighed, she knew that Damon wouldn't go down without a fight, but she hoped that he wouldn't make too much of a fuss. "Ideally, none, absolute worst is that it backfires on us, though I doubt that will happen due to Isara's popularity with the population, so Damon invoking the 'old rights' and demanding a test of combat against his accusers is the most likely worst-case scenario."

Crìsdean nodded and turned to leave, "What should we do if he does demand the 'old rights'?" Faldio asked.

Crìsdean stopped and turned around, "If you want him humiliated, let Joseph at him, otherwise, let Welkin at him."

Varrot nodded and dismissed the men. Faldio began walking to his barracks when his eye caught something unusual. A member of Squad Seven was standing by the gates of the base looking apprehensively at the wider city. He wasn't sure why, but he soon found himself walking up to her. "Um, hello there," he began, startling her, "I'm sorry for startling you, was there something you needed to do in town?" he asked.

The blond girl shook her head, "N-no, not really," she replied. "I was interested in exploring, but I'm worried I'll get lost out there."

Faldio flashed a calming slime at her, "Then allow me to be your guide, I couldn't get lost in Randgriz if I tried." he assured.

For a moment, it looked as if she would refuse before heading back into the base. However, she nodded and they set off into the city.

* * *

In other parts of the base, Joseph sat in Crìsdean's office, debriefing him on things that Lady had told him in the Kloden woodlands. "So let me get this straight," Crìsdean said in disbelief, "Lady told you that the rest of the war will be harder on us, I will be hard-pressed to keep it together, and that you need to trust those around you?" he asked. When Joseph nodded he pounded his desk, "Dammit! I know that I've grown desensitized since Cat's death, but if I'm going to be troubled, then I fear what will happen."

Joseph looked down and shut his eyes. Ever since that night in Kloden, he hadn't gotten a restful night of sleep since his mind rationalized that she would have only appeared to him if the event she was referencing directly impacted him or those he cared about, which was Isara. Crìsdean took pity on the young man, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there Joseph," he consoled, drawing his attention, "In the meantime, make sure that your dress uniform is cleaned and polished, Princess is throwing a Ball next week and you, me, Welkin and Krauss are Guests of Honour. Plus ones encouraged of course."

The smile that graced Joseph's face at the thought of being at a ball with Isara cheered Crìsdean's soul a bit. The next bit of news would interest him too, "Captain Varrot plans to deal with Damon during the Ball as well, Faldio will take care of it."

Joseph arched an eyebrow, "Something tells me that there is more to that line Crìs. What is it?" he asked.

Crìsdean sighed, "Apparently, Gallia allows the nobles to demand a test of arms if they are accused, so it's likely that you'll have to fight."

Joseph snorted, "Swords or pistols, it matters not."

Crìsdean shrugged, "We'll have to see," he remarked before grinning, "Now what's this I hear of you being called 'the Hero with no fear'?" he asked.

Joseph rolled his eyes, "No clue, you're being called 'the Blue Baron' and 'the King of the Skies' by the press though."

Joseph was surprised to see him turn a shade of red only matched by blood "In ainm Dhia! Fuair Uncail Charles bás i Richtofen sa chéad chogadh!"

Joseph knew better than to interrupt his former commander when he was getting on a good rant, so chose to make a speedy and quiet exit.

* * *

Back in Randgriz, Faldio walked around with Susie, he had discovered her name after Alicia called out to her from the other side of a market square while she was gathering supplies for something. They had been walking for close to an hour and the sun was going down, necessitating their return to the base. Faldio wasn't sure why, but he was finding that he was nervous of saying the wrong thing or upsetting her in some way, unlike during his University days where he had been told that he was a bit of a womanizer.

For her part, Susie was enjoying her time with Faldio, even if he seemed a bit distracted by something he was thinking about. Though she had been to Randgriz before, it had always been when her father either had business or a party to attend and so she had never gotten a chance to explore the city.

Soon they returned to the base and Faldio smiled, "See, I told you I couldn't get lost in Randgriz if I tried."

Susie smiled, setting off an odd feeling in Faldio's gut, "I had no doubt of that, I just wondered how long you would continue to say that if we did get lost." she remarked, drawing a blush from him. Seeing the effect she was having on him, Susie continued, "After all, if we did get lost, I'd have to pay a bet with Juno. She thought that no matter what I'd get lost, so we wagered attempting to get someone to take one of us to the Princess' Ball, if she was right, she would try to go to the ball, but since I won, I get to try to go to the ball." she remarked, casting a side-long glance at him.

Faldio didn't know that there was no such wager, but a girl could try. As it happened, Faldio bought it, "In that case, would you do me the honour of being my plus one?"

Susie bowed her head, "I would be honoured Lieutenant."

With that, they departed each other's company, eagerly anticipating the Ball next week.

* * *

A few days later, at Ghirlandaio, Prince Maximilian sat on his dais, internally seething. With Jaeger's betrayal, his triumvirate sat at a real triumvirate with just himself, Gregor, who was still in Fouzen, restructuring the forces and the work camp located there, and Selvaria, the one person he felt he could trust and whom he was glad he had cultivated a saviour persona around her, it certainly sated his biological desires.

The reports from Randgriz troubling him lay scattered on his desk. He had seen the "King of the Skies" over Barious take on most of the Imperial Air Force by himself for much of the battle until the so-called "Hero with no Fear" stepped in. Imperial propaganda had been working overtime after that to portray them in the worst possible light; even though Maximilian knew that, of the hundred pilots over Barious, only about ten or so were young while the rest were men in their thirties, the propagandists of the Empire were calling McAllen and Hernandez "Child-Killers", greatly inflating the youth of the air force's pilots. While it would cause outrage back home, Maximilian also knew that people would demand a quick end to the way in Gallia before more "children" were killed.

The door opening drew his attention from his musing as it admitted Selvaria and her aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Eisen. "Selvaria, Lieutenant. I have a mission for you." he began, "The Gallian Princess is hosting a Ball in three days and has agreed to have an Imperial Noble show up so they may determine if peace may be found."

Selvaria raised an eyebrow and Johann wondered what the Prince was getting at, peace was never going to happen so long as he still lived.

Sure enough, the Prince continued, "You both shall pose as the Count and Countess von Ritter, and while you may keep the pretence up, under no circumstances are you to agree to anything. Moreover, you will gather intelligence on the Gallian Forces while you are there. Understood?"

Selvaria nodded, "Understood Your Grace."

Dismissing them both, Maximilian turned back to his papers. A long night ahead of him.

Selvaria and Johann returned to her chambers. Once she shut the door, she noticed the thoughtful look on his face and knew that they wouldn't be getting any action tonight, much to her disappointment. "What are you thinking Johann?" she asked.

Johann frowned, "Cloak-and-Dagger, most unlike the Prince, especially considering the loss of Jaeger. Makes me concerned about his plans for his chess pieces."

Selvaria frowned, "Surely we, or at the very least I, will be more valuable to 'His Grace' as one of the last Triumvirate officers and a Valkyria to boot." she remarked.

Johann slumped in his chair, "I fear the opposite will occur. We know that he sees you as nothing more than a powerful weapon and that as soon as things turn bad he'll order you to use your Final Flame." he replied, "And considering how things are going now, it won't take long before we're forced to choose our path. I give it no more than two or three months, tops."

While Selvaria had her doubts about his estimates, she also feared that he would be proven right. Thus it made her decision easier to make, "I think it's time to let them know," she said before growing a small smile, "And the Ball will provide us with a perfect opportunity…"

* * *

_**Phew, finally got this one up. I can safely say that I have fourteen more chapters to write, after which it will be onto my next project, but that won't be for a while yet.**_

_**With the outbreak of CoronaVirus in the US, my schooling has taken a turn, cancelling face-to-face finals, which would have been this week, and pushing the start of Spring Term back until April 6, which will then start Online or Remote learning depending on the class instructor. Personally, I, and my family, am well, any ill feelings are easily explained and diagnosed as seasonal allergies kicking me in the balls. It is likely that with the effective quarantine, I will be able to push out a bit of work on this fic. To that end, I would expect that the next chapter, the Ball, would be out sometime in the next two weeks.**_

_**Until Next Time, stay safe.**_


	12. Episode V: The Ball

The night of the Ball couldn't come soon enough for many in the Squad. Alicia, Susie and Isara had spent the entire day getting ready, taking over Welkin's office in the process since he wasn't using it that day. For their part, Welkin, Faldio, Crìsdean and Joseph only needed an hour at most to get ready.

Standing outside his office, Welkin couldn't help but chuckle at the discomfort of his fellows. Crìsdean was rocking on his heels while both Joseph and Faldio were tugging at their collars. "You two really should have worn turtlenecks under your Dress uniforms, especially with the Mess Dress Joseph," Crìsdean remarked.

Joseph rolled his eyes, "Don't have a turtleneck, the climate was too warm at home and when I joined up, wasn't much time to buy something like that."

Crìsdean smirked, but Faldio spoke up, "That works? I thought it was one of those things that fathers tell their sons that don't actually work."

Welkin chuckled, "It does work Faldio, why do you think I'm not clawing at my collar." he replied.

Faldio shook his head, but Joseph sighed, "Why does it take women so long to get ready? I mean really, they look good no matter what they put on!"

Welkin smirked, "Joseph, I figure that in these situations, never ask why just appreciate the results and try and keep the drool off your suit."

"It appears I got the smart one," Alicia remarked, stepping out of the office in a dark blue strapless dress.

When Welkin caught sight of her, it made the others wish they had a camera of some sort to catch his expression. With Welkin's jaw slack, and all higher brain functions seeming to have left him, Crìsdean smirked as perhaps the only perk to going solo would be that he wouldn't look like the cat who caught the canary and got away with it.

That would prove correct as Susie exiting the office in a single shoulder pink ball gown rendered Faldio completely catatonic. When Isara joined them in her dusty pink shoulderless gown, Crìsdean was surprised that Joseph managed to remain standing. In another world, perhaps he would have tried to woo Isara and received the honour to call her his lady. But that would never happen, he could tell that they were madly in love and was happy for them.

For his part, Joseph was also surprised his knees didn't give out when Isara walked out. Finally shaking himself out of his daze, he walked up to her and bowed to her, "You look absolutely stunning Milady."

Isara smiled faintly. She was terrified about this night, even wondering why she agreed to go, but she wanted this to be their first "date" in a sense, so was willing to put her fears aside for a night.

Walking to the base entrance, they joined up with Rommel, his wife and two children. Erwin looked around "Where could Ekkehard be? He knows we leave in a few minutes." he asked.

"Here Herr Rommel," Ekkehard called, hurrying up with a surprising companion.

"Catherine?" Alicia exclaimed.

Rommel raised an eyebrow, "When did this happen Ekkehard?"

Ekkehard shrugged, "Last week. I learnt my lesson: never challenge her in a drinking contest, the hangover was killer." he remarked.

Catherine O'Hara let out a snort, "Ay, never try to out-drink a Celt, blood is mostly alcohol."

Lucia Rommel rolled her eyes, "Ah Ekke, you never do change," she sighed before caressing his face, "At least your scars healed."

"Erwin, your wife is trying to mother me again!" Ekkehard whined.

Erwin raised his eyebrow, "It's your own fault Ekkehard, she got away with it once so she'll continue to do it." he replied.

While most of the others were surprised at this behaviour from Ekkehard, Manfred Rommel explained, "Ekkehard had been such a fixture back home for us that I thought that he was one of father's brothers or the like until I was told otherwise."

His half-sister, Gertrud Rommel smiled, "Ekkehard had impressed our father when they served together in our Great War and, after the army was demobilized, he tried his best to give him the means to survive." she remarked, "He even worked as a housekeeper with us until he got back into the Army with father."

Manfred smirked, "I remember that one time when father tried to set you two up on a date back in the Twenties."

Gertrud blushed, "Really Manfred, you bring _that_ up?"

Manfred chuckled, but before he could say anymore, the car that was going to take them to the palace drove up. Getting in, everyone made small conversation as they approached the palace.

Exiting their car, they were greeted by officers from the Gallian Army, German Wehrmacht and British Royal Navy standing on ceremony. Much of _HMS Hood_'s senior staff were onshore to be the public face of the Allied navy, but some officers from _Bismarck_ and _Tirpitz_ were also onshore.

One of the officers from the Wehrmacht noticed the group and walked over to them, "Herr Rommel and party," he greeted before leaning in and whispering something to Rommel. Whatever was said between the two men wasn't heard by anyone other than Lucia Rommel, and she wasn't going to say anything.

After giving Rommel the mysterious message he turned back to everyone, "Captain Varrot and her plus one are waiting for you all in the antechamber. Please, follow me." he said.

Following the officer to the antechamber, they made their way through the winding corridors of the palace until they met Captain Varrot and her plus one, Largo. "I thought I would see you here Largo," Welkin remarked, an all-knowing smirk on his face.

Largo scratched the back of his head, "Ah well when Ele asked, I couldn't turn her down." he replied.

Welkin personally thought that Largo would never turn Eleanor down on anything, but kept that to himself. However, even if he wanted to make the remark, he didn't have the time as they were ushered into the main chamber.

With the band in full swing, it didn't take long for the ones who had plus ones to make their way to the dance floor. For his part, Crìsdean mingled with the crowd, knowing full well that many of the Gallian elites were here tonight and would try to use a connection with him as the Chief of the Royal Gallian Air Force as a political means to whatever end they envisioned. As such, most of his mingling was with officers from the Royal Navy and the Germans.

* * *

Just leaving their car, Selvaria and Johann met with a similar greeting from the on-duty officers, greeting them as the Count and Countess von Ritter of course. After their guide left them, Johann looked over to Selvaria who had opted for a simple red dress that, considering the effect it was having on him, only amplified her figure. Focusing on the task at hand, and hoping to regain some blood flow to other areas of his body, he asked, "What do you think? How much should we tell them?"

Selvaira shrugged, "The bare-bones will do, along with what we know about the war." she replied.

Seeing the sense in that course, Johann asked a follow-up question, "Who do we tell?"

Selvaria thought for a moment, "I think they will come to us," she remarked.

* * *

Though Selvaria would prove correct, those who had already noticed the Imperials chose to keep quiet for now, not wanting to spoil the mood of the Ball. For now, most were content to dance and watch the dancers. Rommel and Crìsdean, however, were in discussions with several representatives from nations who had declared neutrality in the conflict, "… Indeed, the Empire seemed unbeatable, but with your forces, that seems to have changed." a representative from Asnia remarked.

Rommel nodded, but a representative from Osparia spoke up, "How is it that you couldn't beat the Empire when they invaded your homeland?"

Crìsdean answered him, "For the five years before the Empire showed up, Rommel's nation and mine were locked in a bloody war, one that drained our people greatly. So when the Empire showed up, they simply finished us off. Regardless of how advanced we were, we simply didn't have the numbers to counter theirs."

Seeing the sense in his words, William Spencer, the representative for the United States of Vinland, added his two cents into the mix, "Vinland has been experimenting with non-Ragnite based fuels for a while now, attempting to lessen our dependency on it. I have been told by scientists from both Vinland and Gallia that our Petrol can be used by these ships, planes and other vehicles that you have." he remarked.

Rommel and Crìsdean looked at each other, sensing there was a catch. "I have been authorized by my government to begin a trade agreement, the details will be hashed out later, but I wish to ask a favour of you." he said, "You see, Vinland when Gallia fought for her independence during the First Europan War, sent a detachment of volunteers to aid Gallia in their fight. The VEF is forming once again, but they are green, very green. I'd like it if you could train them so they don't die in their first battle."

Rommel would always agree to the training of additional forces to aid them, but he got the feeling that the ambassador was making a personal request. "I will always say yes to more help, but, forgive me Ambassador, but it sounds as if you have a personal stake in the VEF surviving."

Ambassador Spencer grimly smiled, "Two actually. During EWI I was part of the VEF and training was handled by Gallia's Army, and I'm sure you've noticed how they feel about outsiders."

Rommel nodded, while he hadn't been on the receiving end of the nobility's ire, Barious might have had something to do about that, he knew that others in his force had. "That is something we are hoping to change. After all, I'm sure you've heard about how the ones to fight and beat the Imperials in Barious were us Germans with the Gallian Militia being the only useful help we had while the Gallian Army displayed their proficiency for advancing backwards towards our Capitol. Even the Italians I fought with, who weren't the greatest fighters in the beginning, would usually fight and they turned into a decent fighting force!" he replied.

Ambassador Spencer grimaced, "Indeed, but there was another reason I'd like the VEF to survive." he remarked. "My son is a part of it."

Rommel nodded, "I fully understand, my men are like brothers to me."

Crìsdean continued, "I agree. Too often, back home, the officers were people from the nobility or of higher standing, leading to countless deaths due to their incompetence."

While the ambassador looked relieved, they could not continue the conversation as the fanfare signalled the Princess' entrance. Many of the Gallians were surprised to see the Princess carry herself with confidence when previously she tended to hide behind the workings of her Prime Minister. Taking a seat on her throne, Princess Cordelia smiled, "Honoured guests, I thank you for attending this event and pray that this will be the beginning of the road to lasting peace on this continent." she began.

This drew applause from the crowd before her face fell and soon, everyone soon understood why "I have been informed as to a crime that was carried out by officers of Gallia. This is something that cannot go unpunished and so I order for the First Squad of the Third Regiment of the Gallian Militia to arrest General Georg von Damon, Captain Hammond Reed and Captain Evan Son this instant!"

With surprising speed leading many of the audience wondering where they had been hiding, Faldio's squad quickly surrounded General Damon and his accomplices. However, though they had hoped that they would come quietly, it was not to be as General Damon began spluttering indignantly, "This is preposterous! I demand to meet my accuser in the Old Ways!"

For a moment, nobody moved. The Old Ways hadn't been demanded in years but had just as much legal weight as modern laws. However, Joseph, Welkin and Crìsdean soon walked forward. Damon scoffed, "Militia and Foreigners, is that the best you could do?"

Joseph took the sword offered to him and stared Damon down, "My name is Joseph Hernandez. You raped my girl. Prepare to die." he retorted before stepping into a simple stance, sword in his left hand.

General Damon grabbed his sword and a circle of about thirty paces in diameter was formed around them. The order to begin the duel had barely left the Princess' mouth before Joseph starts striking quickly and furiously. His youth was coming in handy for this duel. Suddenly, two things happened in rapid succession. The first thing was that Joseph decided to take a jab at General Damon, who managed to deflect the blow. The second thing was that when the General deflected the jab, it continued downwards and Joseph's blade pierced the General's pants and eventually his family jewels.

With the General clutching his nether regions on the floor, Joseph walked over to Isara, "You see Damon, unlike you, I respect the wishes of my lady and will only show her that bit on her demand, whenever that may be."

When Crìsdean and Welkin looked at the Captains, they both shook their heads and raised their hands in surrender. This caused Crìsdean to smirk, "Dammit Jman! Didn't leave anything for us!"

Welkin though, looked over Joseph, making sure he was alright. "Impressive display Joseph," he remarked.

Joseph nodded, "Thanks, I'm not left-handed, but I wanted to give it a go."

Crìsdean raised an eyebrow, "Joseph? Have you been getting into my books again?"

Joseph paled and shot off. Crìsdean though was hot on his heels "Dammit man! Get your arse back here!"

After having a good laugh at Joseph's and Crìsdean's antics, the party got back into the swing of things. Even the Princess joined in as she spent quite a bit of time dancing with Captain von Essen. However, soon after reentering the ballroom, Crìsdean was approached by members of the band, "Commander, we were informed that not only do you have a good voice for song, you've also written some. Would you join us?"

Crìsdean looked around, people were enjoying themselves so he stuck out like a sore thumb. "Sure, why not." he replied before digging out some papers from his jacket, "Here's my sheet music, see what you can do with it."

Nodding to him, the band soon copied and distributed the music to the rest of their members. Then they called for attention, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have asked Wing Commander Crìsdean McAllen to provide us and perform with us a tribute for the brave men and women who serve Gallia every day in this war."

After the applause died down enough, Crìsdean began, "Here's to the heroes, those few who dare, heading for glory, living a prayer. Here's to the heroes, who change our lives, thanks to the heroes, freedom survives! Here's to the heroes, who never rest, they are the chosen, we are the blessed. Here's to the heroes, who aim so high, here's to the heroes, who do or die!" taking a short breath to observe the crowd he noticed that most were in tears, and so closed it, "Here's to the heroes, who aim so high, here's to the heroes, who do! Or die!"

Hearing the cheers from the crowd, Crìsdean smiled. This was one of the few things he enjoyed doing and he was happy that people appreciated his talent. Then Joseph surprised him and hopped on up with him and whispered to him, "Play the tune to 'Yellow Rose of Texas' would ya?"

Crìsdean smirked and grabbed a guitar from one of the band members while Joseph politely evicted the pianist from his seat, "There's a white rose of Gallia, That I am going to see, No other fellow knows her, No other, only me, She cried so when I left her, It like to broke my heart, And if I ever find her, We never more will part. She's the sweetest rose of color, This soldier ever knew, Her eyes are bright as diamonds, They sparkle like the dew, You may talk about your dearest May, And sing of Rosa Lee, But the White Rose of Gallia, Is the only girl for me. Where the Vasel River is flowing, And the starry skies are bright, She walks along the river, In the quiet summer night, She thinks if I remember, When we parted long ago, I promised to come back again, And never leave her so. Oh now I'm going to find her, For my heart is full of woe, And we'll sing the song together, That we sang so long ago, We'll play the banjo gaily, And we'll sing the song of yore, And the White Rose of Gallia, Shall be mine for ever more. She's the sweetest rose of color, This soldier ever knew, Her eyes are bright as diamonds, They sparkle like the dew, You may talk about your dearest May, And sing of Rosa Lee, But the White Rose of Gallia, Is the only girl for me. But that White Rose of Gallia, Beats the girls of the Federation."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Isara was the "White Rose of Gallia" that Joseph had mentioned. For her part, Isara was flushed, but that soon turned into a full blush as Joseph came down from the stage and planted a kiss on her cheek.

After that, people got back into the swing of things which was unfortunate for Ekkehard as he was forced to listen to a noble try to find out more about him to try and convince his daughter to enter a courtship with him. "The Lieutenant here received an award for bravery darling, just give him a chance."

For her part, the daughter wasn't making it easy for her father, which Ekkehard was quietly thankful for, "I've never heard of this 'Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves' Gallia doesn't have any such thing."

"That's because he's a foreigner dear," her father replied.

She didn't look convinced, but before Ekkehard could take the opportunity to make himself scarce, especially since he could see that Erwin was spending an unusually long amount of time near the punch bowl, she spoke up, "And what of that band on your cuff, with the weird word on it? Or for that matter the other things pinned to your chest?"

Ekkehard sighed, "Afrika, it denotes that I served in that theatre of operation at one time. As for the others, The Honour's Cross of the War, the one with 1914-18, notes that I served in our Great War, while the Wehrmacht Long Service Award, that gold disk, signifies that I'm been in my nation's army for at least twelve years, only just got it before we had to evacuate Germany." he muttered, "As for the other two, one represents that I engaged 50 enemy tanks and the other one is for my scars, I got them when one of my tanks blew up and I was standing just outside of it during the Afrika campaign, leading for most of my body to be burned, much like my face."

Considering that half of Ekkehard's face had burn scars on it, the father asked the obvious question, "Does the unit you work with know why you're scarred?"

Ekkehard shrugged, "Never came up, nor does it matter, especially when we're getting shot at."

Before the conversation could continue, Ekkehard noticed something and, with more grace then he felt they deserved, excused himself from the group. Walking over to the punch bowl, Erwin and Crìsdean were having a quiet argument, "I don't care if it's tradition, for Christ's sake, the Princess is only 16!" Crìsdean retorted.

Erwin snorted, "And have you seen her even walk in this direction? She's far too busy having Captain von Essen sweep her off her feet to bother with refreshments."

Ekkehard rubbed his brow, "Goddammit Erwin, did you spike the punch bowl _again_?"

Crìsdean waved over a guard and quickly explained what happened while Erwin looked incredulous, "Really Ekkehard, you should know by now that I'd _never_ do such a thing when there are children about."

Ekkehard raised an eyebrow, "That's a load of bullshit," he replied before lowering his voice, "Your wife _still_ hasn't forgiven me for when you spiked the punch at your son's party last year and claimed it was me."

Before Erwin could rebuke that, Crìsdean turned back to them, "Well, since they don't want to toss it out, they need it to be drunk," he said before grabbing their shoulders, "You two are going to help me make this disappear."

* * *

Isara had separated from Joseph for some air, taking a walk around the castle to clear her mind. She was still somewhat shaken by what had happened at Vasel, but she was quietly hoping that that moment he mentioned after his duel would be around the corner.

Speaking of around a corner, she heard soft voices come from around the corner, "Mmmmhh, we have to be careful Milady, your courtiers already hate me." a male voice murmured.

A female voice answered him, "Would they really argue when you have command of the fleet? Now hurry up and help me take this dress off."

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour in this case, Isara turned around to walk away when all of a sudden her head began to hurt and her world went black.

Around the corner in the nearby room, Captain von Essen and Princess Cordelia were… getting to know each other very well, hands in each other's hair and otherwise intertwined, when the blow to the Captain's head came, it knocked them both out, "I don't know boss," one of the armed men remarked, "I think we should just leave them here and let her court discover them, the scandal could bring Gallia into the Federation by itself."

The one in charge snorted, "Doubtful, her people adore her and these foreigners as well for saving them from the Empire, since Townsend couldn't go with plan A, he's having us go with plan B."

Another man spoke up, "What about the Darcsen? What do we do with her?"

The leader smirked, "Bring her, might as well have some fun with this trip. But leave the German, too much of a risk."

Skulking about in the shadows, Johann frowned, knowing that their best chance at peace was with this Princess, he hurried back to the main room where the party was winding down. Spotting Selvaria making her way over to him, he began walking to the one group he knew could handle this crisis, "Lieutenant Gunther, Commander Hernandez, there's a problem that requires your attention."

Welkin and Joseph turned around and faced Johann, "What is the situation and who are you?" Welkin asked.

With Selvaria a couple of paces away and no one else really being nearby, Johann dropped his voice, "Johann Oswald Eisen, Imperial Army, and I just watched and heard Federation soldiers or Federation aligned mercenaries knock out and kidnap both your sister and the Princess."

The surprise was evident on both their faces, as was the doubt, but considering they hadn't heard from Isara since she went for a walk, and he wasn't implicating Gallians, they were a bit more inclined to believe him. "Best get your squad Welkin, my boys will be too hammered to shoot straight and I don't see Ekkehard, Rommel or Crìs anywhere," Joseph remarked.

Alicia sighed, "Hopefully I don't ruin this dress, it's brand new."

Thinking quickly, Selvaria made her presence known, "If you use your tank as a roadblock and force a confrontation where you want it, you wouldn't have to fire a shot in theory."

Welkin nodded and left with Alicia to get the squad together. Joseph then looked at them and then at his sword that hadn't been taken back, "You're that Witch from Barious, the one who destroyed my plane, aren't you?" he casually remarked.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Selvaria nodded, "General Selvaria Bles, Valkyria of the Empire."

Joseph casually nodded before turning his back, "Since your boyfriend brought us information that will allow us to save my girlfriend and the Princess, take this back to the empire. We shall never give in, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, we shall never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. We will never yield to force, or to the overwhelming might of our enemies. We will never give in."

Selvaria quietly nodded, surprised at the soft voice turned as hard as iron in seconds. Joseph didn't wait for a reply, rushing down to the front and joining the effort to rescue his girl.

* * *

Drunkenly not being of help to anyone, Erwin, Crìsdean and Ekkehard were still working on the spiked punch, "Lord above, how much did you put in Erwin?" Ekkehard asked.

Rommel, red in the face and struggling to keep it together as his face threatened to split from his grin, simply replied, "Not much of the _good stuff_."

Crìsdean raised an eyebrow, "I know that the blockade deprived you lot of many things, but I thought you lot brewed?"

Ekkehard scoffed, "Bah, not the good stuff, old Nordic recipe apparently, used in things for their old gods and whatnot."

Crìsdean shook his head and was about to bash the drink for not quite being as strong as the stuff back home when Ekkehard downed a glass and began to sing, "Rastsvietali yabloni i grushi, Paplyli tumany nad riekoy; Vyhodila na bierieg Katyusha, Na viesokiy bierieg, na krutoy. Vyhodila, piesnyu zavadila Pra stiepnoga sizaga arla, Pra tago katorovo liubila, Pra tago chy pisma bieriegla. Oy, ty piesnya, piesenka dievichia, Ty leti za yasnim salntsiem vslied, I baytsu na dalniem pagranichie Ot Katyushi pieriedai priviet. Pust on spomnit dievushku prastuyiu, Pust uslyshit, kakj ana payot, Pust on ziemliu bierieshiot radnuyiu, A lyubov Katyusha sbierieshiot. Ratsvietali yabloni i grushi, Paplyli tumany nad riekoy; Vyhodila na bierieg Katusha, Na viesokiy bierieg, na krutoy."

Erwin just banged his head on the table, "Dammit Ekke, that's the eighth time you've sung that blasted Russian song!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a truck made it's way towards the edge of town, hoping to be able to make it to the Federation border before the sun rose. In the back, Isara stirred, vaguely aware that things weren't right but hoping that if she laid still, then no one would take notice of her. However, a loud rumble soon made it's way closer to the truck.

Looking to his side, the driver was surprised to see Joseph riding a motorcycle next to him. Drawing his pistol, he was about to shoot when Joseph pointed ahead of him.

Looking at what he was meaning, the driver slammed on his brakes, causing Isara and the Princess to fly forwards and rousing the Princess who had used a similar tactic. The driver soon found himself pinned between the Edelweiss and half of Squad Seven in front of him and a Panzer IV and the other half of Squad Seven behind him. Joseph stopped next to the truck's window, "You have a choice, surrender or die, we are prepared for the former, but will grant the latter should you choose it."

The driver looked to his comrades in the front seats and was about to give his answer when something hilarious happened. Largo had worked his way around to the other side of the truck and just happened to have Hans on his shoulders. Since he came from the back, he saw Isara with the Princess and was pissed and it seemed as if Hans was of a similar mindset as Hans lept off Largo's shoulders, through the glass window, shoving the nearest soldier, causing a chain reaction that led the driver to be ejected from his seat, and thusly the truck, and opening the door.

Joseph readied his rifle in case any tried to run, but Hans lept on the driver and relieved himself on said driver. All while this was happening, other members of the squad rescued the Princess and Isara and brought them around to Joseph's side just in time to see Hans pissing on the driver and Joseph doing the best he could to refrain from repeating the act as much of the rest of the squad belted out laughing. Seeing the Princess looking quite shocked, Joseph spoke up, "Apologizes Princess, Hans normally takes care of his business on the compost heap and he must have recognized this man as part of the rubbish."

With that, Cordelia start to bite her lip to avoid doing the same thing, "Ah, I can see where he would get confused Commander," she finally remarked.

It took a moment but Hans finally stepped off the man, Joseph wasn't sure how the little pig had _that_ full of a bladder, but he thought better than to ask Welkin for information. Pinching his nose, he walked up to him and nudged him with his foot, "Do me a favour and stand up on your own accord."

Unable to see a way out of his situation, he stood up and allowed himself to be arrested. Watching as he was led off, Joseph made his way over to Isara with Welkin, "Are you alright Isara?" he asked.

Even though she nodded, she still held on to Joseph tightly, almost afraid to let go, "Can we head back to the base?" she whispered.

Joseph rubbed her back and looked at Welkin, "I'll take her back to base if you can escort the Princess back to the palace."

Welkin, seeing the state Isara was in, quickly agreed and the squad began walking back to the palace with the Princess taking a ride on the Edelweiss.

Upon their return to the Palace, most of the squad was surprised to be greeted by Captain von Essen and several German officers holding Prime Minister Borg and the Federation Ambassador Jean Townshend under arrest. While wanting nothing more than to run into the arms of Wilhelm, Cordelia could tell that she needed to do some work before they could get back to their love. "Captain von Essen? What is going on here?" she asked.

Wilhelm turned around and looked at them, running a critical eye over Cordelia, before answering, "My boys caught this piece of audio I think you might find interesting Your Highness."

Handing her an earpiece, they played what they had found, _"These Germans and British have forced us to abandon the original plan" Ambassador Townshend grumbled._

_Borg grunted, "As long as the deal remains, then however you need to neutralize the Princess, do it."_

_Townshend had a dismissive air come through, "Yes, yes, once Gallia is in the Federation, you will be made it's King."_

Tearing off the earpiece, Cordelia glared at Borg, "You! I trusted you to take care of the Duchy for me until I became of age! My parents trusted you!" she screamed.

Spinning her ire to Townshend, she was struck with an idea, "Ambassador Townshend, any treaties you have signed with my former Prime Minister is thusly null and void, I will also ask for a new ambassador from the Atlantic Federation lest we completely break relations," she said.

Keeping his head down in shame, Townshend didn't protest her decree, knowing full well that he was getting a bargain compared to the deal Damon got.

Borg started to smirk as he believed that the ambassador was getting the entire punishment, but he was surprised when the Princess turned back to him, "Mister Borg, not only are you herewith stripped of your titles and ranks, I decree that the House von Borg are here with exiled from Gallia, your house's estates shall be confiscated and doled out appropriately."

Borg looked to be about to explode, and many of the Germans were getting ready to bash him in the head if he should start, but they would never get the chance. Apparently, years of running a country while planning to backstab it was quite bad for one's health as Borg cried out in pain and crumpled to the floor. The nearest soldier felt for a pulse, but shook his head, Maurits von Borg was dead.

After the shock wore off, attendants set off to carry out the Princess' bidding. Turning to Lieutenant Gunther, the Princess bowed her head, "Thank you for the rescue Lieutenant, I managed to overhear some of what the kidnappers said and while their only plan for me was to take me to Appledore, that wasn't the case for your sister, as they planned to pull the same stunt General Damon did."

Welkin frowned but bowed to the Princess, "Thank you Your Highness, but we were only doing our duty."

Princess Cordelia smiled, "Pass along my thanks to Hans, I haven't been that amused since long before this war began."

Welkin nodded and they walked back to the base, leaving Cordelia and Wilhelm to get back to their… activities.

* * *

Back at Ghirlandaio, Selvaria and Johann were finishing their report to Prince Maximilian. "So you're saying that the Gallian Princess was kidnapped by the Federation of all people and the plot was foiled by the same group who captured Jaeger?"

Selvaria nodded, "Indeed Your Grace, in fact, one of them gave me a message to pass along to you," she replied.

Maximilian raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And what was this message for Us?"

Selvaria internally smirked, glad she could deliver it, "We shall never give in, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, we shall never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. We will never yield to force, or to the overwhelming might of our enemies. We will never give in."

Maximilian frowned, that wasn't what he had wanted to hear, but he had no choice but to proceed, "Very well, we will have to continue as we are. We are expecting that skilled reinforcements will come very soon for Our push through the enemy's northern force, but until then, we are in a holding pattern." he stated before turning his gaze to Selvaria, "Selvaria, if you will accompany me to my chambers."

Selvaria put on a false smile, she knew he was having _urges_ again and she would have to sate them, "Of course Your Grace."

* * *

It was rather quiet at the base entrance, Susie and Faldio were standing guard, though they were taking the opportunity to get to know one another better mostly. Suddenly, they heard footsteps come from just beyond the darkness, "Come out with your hands above your head!" Faldio shouted while Susie swung a lamp in that direction.

They were treated to an odd sight, Crìsdean walking up to them with Ekkehard on one shoulder and General Erwin Rommel on the other, "Gah, could ye lower the torch lassy, hangover is already killer for me without the light stabbing my eyes."

Lowering the lamp, Susie was too confused to even begin to question things, but Faldio managed, "What in the name of the Valkyrur happened?"

Crìsdean shrugged, "These two decided to try and out drink me, a Celt, they lost." he remarked before dropping them to the ground, "Too heavy," he began before himself passing out and joining them on the ground.

Shaking his head, Faldio rang up the Medic Triplets and they came down and carried them off to the medical wing of the base. That night had been interesting, but he was glad that the madness was finally over, allowing him to focus more on the blond next to him. He had a bad feeling that something would happen soon and that their relationship would soon be tested, but he hoped that they would be stronger after it…

* * *

**With the foiled abduction of Princess Cordelia, Federation Diplomats would remark that Ambassador Townshend had destroyed the last hundred years of diplomatic work in Gallia and added an additional century to their jobs. Squad Seven would be recognized as heroes for the rescue and Borg would go down in the annuls of history as Gallia's first traitor. Not long after the Ball, concessions would be made to General Rommel allowing him to remain on the front, but also assume leadership of the Gallian Army, being one of three Chiefs of Staff for the Princess' War Council.**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Finally got this chapter done, with school being online this term and I have to write two different one-shots for one class, my time to work is limited and, as such, this may be the last update until things calm down slightly, but I will continue to work on this story so who knows, maybe an update will come soon.**_

_**Until Next Time, Stay Safe.**_


	13. Episode VI

After Crìsdean, Ekkehard and Rommel sobered up, plans were made to act on the intel that Marina and Ted had brought with them. Rommel, in particular, was uneasy about this mission, but he couldn't pin down what it was that was bothering him. Turning his attention back to the briefing, he looked over Captain Varrot and the two star lieutenants of her regiment, Welkin and Faldio. "From what we understand, we believe that Fouzen, being rich in Ragnite, is the final destination for much of the slave labour Imperial troops have been capturing from their conquests." he remarked before frowning, "However, our intel is incomplete, so I'd like for Squad Seven to obtain additional intel from the camps before the main force begins its attack. Any questions?"

Welkin raised a hand, "Is it just Squad Seven or will we have backup?"

Rommel straightened his back, "You'll have Ekkehard's group and Squad One as immediate backup, more will be made available should it be required, but I must stress that this is an infiltration mission first and foremost, once you gather the intel, we'll figure out what to do then, but if you see an opportunity to strike with minimal risk, take it." looking around and not seeing any further questions he turned back to Welkin, "I will attach one of my officers to your squad for the mission, he's an expert when it comes to infiltrating camps of this nature."

Welkin nodded, "What's his name General?"

Rommel waved his hand and the officer stepped forwards, "Viktor Gwerder, formerly an SS-Rottenführer, the equivalent of Corporal for the military, he will serve you well in this case."

Welkin nodded to Gwerder who nodded back. Being dismissed from the brief, they joined with the squad and gave out their marching orders.

* * *

It took them about two days to reach the outskirts of Fouzen. Turning off their radios to avoid detection, Squad Seven, plus Joseph, Crìsdean and Gwerder, quietly slipped into the industry sector of the town. "Alright," Welkin whispered, "Intel suggests that on the eastern side of the sector there is a labour camp, our mission is to confirm it and gather more intel on Imperial defences. We supposedly have a man on the inside who will meet us in one of the camp buildings, keep quiet and don't draw attention to yourselves."

Joseph smirked, "It'll be easier to do that without Edelweiss, you two good outside of your tank?"

Isara nodded, "We're not as good as everyone else, but we'll do alright."

Largo smirked, "Well, we all can't be as good as Alicia now can we?"

"Come on Largo," Alicia whined, "It's not like I take on an overwhelming force and force them to surrender by myself."

Somehow, Joseph suspected that if she had sufficient motivation, then Alicia could take on overwhelming numbers. Before he could make his opinion known though, Gwerder signalled them to drop to the ground. Following his lead, the squad held their breath as an Imperial patrol passed by them. "Should be clear now," Gwerder muttered, "Keep your heads down and chatter to a minimum, don't want to tip our hand just yet."

The squad nodded and quickly snuck across the complex, dodging Imperial patrols and searchlights. It didn't take long before they met back up at their target: a large shack on the side of a cliff.

As Squad Seven, Joseph, Crìsdean and Gwerder entered the structure, they were shocked at the state of the occupants. The occupants who were all children and adults were wearing rags and were pretty much just living skeletons. And to make the scene just a bit more heartbreaking, the children were hiding behind the adults with fear visible in their eyes. Although the fear wasn't just limited to the children, many adults had fear in their eyes, but others held an emptiness that threatened to swallow them whole. Alicia gripped Welkin's arm and suddenly the ground seemed very inviting to her.

Welkin, for his part, only just managed to keep a lid on his lunch, though considering that Alicia was only upright because of him, it seemed like he wasn't the only one having difficulties in that regard. Looking at the squad, he noticed that everyone was in a similar state, "Largo," he called, breaking everyone out of their stupor, "see what rations we can spare, and don't worry about mine or Alicia's, I don't think we can stomach food at the moment."

Largo mutely nodded and started work. Turning back to the Darcsens, Welkin looked around, "Is there a Zaka here?" he asked.

The living skeleton in the back with a bad eye stood up, "Yeah, that'd be me," he remarked before regarding them, "I take it you're Squad Seven?"

Welkin nodded and Zaka glanced over the squad as they handed out what little rations they had. "We need this, thank you." he murmured.

Welkin looked at him and gestured to the outside. Zaka, understanding immediately, walked outside with him and Alicia, "I don't mean to push, but what the hell is going on here? If I didn't know any better, I'd think that I just walking onto a set of one of those horror movies that are all the craze in the Federation."

Zaka sighed, "The Imperials here are some of the more bigoted of them, part of the Imperial Security Bureau. But to be a guard for one of these camps you must be one of the worst and be willing to show it in broad daylight."

Alicia hesitated for a moment, "How bad does it get?" she eventually asked.

Zaka sighed, "Heated water with a thin slice of potato makes our meals, morning, noon, and night. Beatings are a seemingly hourly occurrence unless you're a woman though, then it's not uncommon for them to be forced to 'comfort' the Imperials day and night."

Alicia grew even more ill at the thought, but Zaka continued, "Darcsens have grown used to these things, having been subject to them for centuries, but the experiments are what horrify me, and should horrify you."

Almost afraid to ask, Welkin wasn't sure he wanted to know, but Zaka carried on regardless, "Severed limbs without anaesthetics to see how we handle pain. Torturing one twin while another is held in another room to see if they can sense their twin's pain. Even the crime of incest holds no bounds as siblings are forced to reproduce to see if the deformations take hold, which they always do if the child survives anyways."

Welkin shuttered and found it difficult to breathe, but Alicia found herself regretting her choices for lunch that day as a ham sandwich didn't taste great the second time around. Zaka patiently waited until they had recovered, but Welkin and Alicia would wish he hadn't, "Then there are the Gas Chambers where most of the death happens." he finished before looking down, "If you don't die from hard labour, they murder you with chemical weapons."

If Welkin had any reservations about defeating the Imperials here, those were long gone by now. It would turn out that he wasn't the only one either.

* * *

Later that evening, Rommel was sitting in the makeshift command centre with Captain Varrot. He had been thankful that she was the one that volunteered to join his group in this endeavour as most, if not all, of the Gallian Generals were far too aristocratic for his liking, most of them had baulked when he remarked that his forward command centre would be with the frontline, but thankfully, Varrot only expressed gratitude for his taking the situation seriously.

Suddenly, the radio came to life, "General Rommel, die Situation ist wesentlich schlimmer als wir befürchtet haben." Gwerder reported.

Erwin grabbed the radio "Speak freely, I have Captain Varrot here. Elaborate on 'worst than our worst fears' Gwerder."

Gwerder growled, "These Imps would have made Himmler and Hitler proud, this place brings up memories of Treblinka."

For a moment, Varrot wondered if Rommel had heard the report, not that it made any sense to her, but she soon had her answer when he suddenly stood up and shouted, "I want everyone ready at first light! We take that camp and we take it fast!"

Rarely had she ever heard Rommel sound angry, and she couldn't tell if his soldiers had either, but she would remember the sudden fear in their faces. Except for Ekkehard's "Treblinka? What's that?"

Erwin waved him off, "Long story, one we don't have time for but suffice to say that it is bad."

* * *

The next morning would see the beginning of the battle for Fouzen, heavy railway artillery began pounding the Gallian lines causing Rommel to become concerned, but soon Welkin's voice came over the radio, "I can see the railway artillery, we have a local who will plant explosives and fall back before we detonate them."

Rommel sighed in relief, "Good! We're getting torn to shreds here!"

Varrot frowned, "Why would they have railway guns in a labour camp?" she wondered.

Rommel looked at her, "Human shields, that's why, we can't bomb it without probably bombing the camp, and artillery is too inaccurate for that."

The battle progressed favourably anyways so Varrot peered through her binoculars to where Squad Seven would be and at that railway gun. It didn't take long before a massive explosion was heard and the gun fell as the bridge collapsed, leading to many of their staff to start cheering. Varrot would have joined them, but noticed some smoke off to the side of her vision and spun to look at it. What she saw caused her to drop her binoculars in horror, "Welkin! Get back to those barracks! The Imperials have set fire to them! With people in them!" she shouted into her radio.

You could have heard a pin drop after that moment. Horror filled everyone's faces, some even lost their breakfast even their dinner from the night before.

It didn't take long before Welkin had arrived on scene, the inferno blazing worse than had been feared. "Squad Seven! Find buckets! Fight this fire!" he ordered before jumping off of Edelweiss and joining them.

Hours later, and after reinforcements joined them in fighting the fire, they all looked at the still smouldering ruins. Shock and horror on everyone's face. Welkin looked at Zaka, "How many were here?" he asked, fearful of the number.

Zaka looked down, "Over four thousand, maybe closer to five." he muttered.

Several people lost their lunch, though that paled in comparison to the number of lives lost. Suddenly, a young child's cry could be heard, one of pain, and of sorrow.

Joseph, Isara and Crìsdean were the first to recover from their shock and jumped into the ruins, pulling burned beams off and searching for that cry. Soon others joined in the search, but all they were finding were the skeletal remains of the once-living residents. A sudden yelp and increase in the volume of the cry told everyone that Isara had found the child. By some miracle, only the babe's face had suffered seriously from the intense blaze.

Joseph rushed over to his girlfriend's side to see her clutching the little girl to her chest, tears forming in her eyes. He suddenly had a feeling this little girl would find her way to Bruhl under his name, something he found himself eager for. However, Gina, or one of the three medics anyways, came up to them, "I need to see her and get her medical attention."

It was a surprise when, instead of giving her to Gina, Isara clutched her closer to her chest, prompting Joseph to intervene, just to be safe, "Isara, she needs to go with Gina so she can come home," he whispered before wrapping his arm around her, "we'll see her soon, I promise."

It took Isara a moment to realise what Joseph was saying, but she finally relented and handed the baby to Gina. Though she had yet to realise it, she had just set into motion a series of events with far-reaching consequences, one which would impact her greatly…

* * *

**The fires of Fouzen would be the flames that forged the resolve of the world's people to see the Imperial Forces driven out of their territory. Volunteers would soon arrive from all corners of the globe to take up arms for the Gallians. But it was the young Babe of Fouzen, as the press was calling her, that would see the most improvement of fortunes, as Squad Seven would prove to be protective of the babe, Miss Gunther most so, and would refuse anyone to see the child, I myself only was allowed to see her after relinquishing my reporting equipment even though I was embedded with the squad.**

**(Except from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**P**__**hew, the classes are almost done, only a week left, and I finally got this done. Things have been busy, what with Homework taking much the same lines as this (boy my Discord know what I mean) and not really letting up until now. With Summer approaching, I intend on getting a lot more writing done, especially if certain family events get cancelled due to the current situation. Since Fall Term is going to be completely online as well, I'm hoping to finish this before then because three science classes...**_

_**Now for reviews, Amethyst, This chapter, and the next one, wouldn't be considered necessary to the overall plot, they are me just having fun with what the game presented to me, though I'd also skip the next chapter if you object to, shall we say, lewdness in large amounts. GJO, Damon was more about arrogance with what I could see, so I wrote it so that he would believe that either, it was a noble, trying to stake a claim, or it was peasants and they wouldn't be any match for him, currently, Edinburgh and the rest of the Federation are persona non grata in Gallia so I highly doubt any sort of deal would be made, as for the Nameless, I don't intend to feature them, due to not actually knowing that much about them and there is only so much I feel I can learn from the Wiki or other people.**_

_**Now I'm going to address something I've received a few reviews about, Rommel. I first wrote this story knowing that there would be a lot of material I'd have to read up on to get Rommel right, however, I soon discovered the "Rommel Myth" but I was already into the story, so I couldn't change things. I will say this, I have books on the man, but because of the Myth surrounding him, I get advice from others on my Discord to separate the man from the myth as I want the man. If my depiction of Rommel upsets you, then the people you need to argue with are the proponents of the Myth for putting enough false information out there to make me second guess things. Will elements of the Myth appear? Probably. But I will be balancing it with the real man too. And always remember, you're not required to read on if you disagree, in fact, if you do disagree then I encourage you to write your own version with how you feel Rommel is but also try to read up on him so you get it correct and I bet you'll learn something that you either didn't know, or you'll find evidence to the contrary of what you thought.**_

_**With that out of the way, until next time, stay safe.**_


	14. Interlude III: Squad 7 to the Beach

Princess Cordelia massaged her forehead, "Let me see if I understand correctly." she began, "The Imperials set up a death camp in Fouzen, specifically for the Darcsens of their conquered lands, worked those they could to death, experimented on others, and when the camp was almost liberated, they burned every remaining Darcsen leaving only Mr. Zaka and a 3-month-old baby alive and the baby's survival is due to a miracle? Am I getting that right?"

Rommel nodded, the pictures were on the table in front of the Princess, but after she had vomited the first time, she hadn't looked at them again. To her side, Wilhelm looked as white as a sheet. Though he didn't know the full extent of what had happened back in Germany, he knew a little and that little had convinced him to join Rommel in his defection.

A few moments later, after the Princess had regained her wits, she turned back to Rommel, "And what of the soldiers who liberated that camp? Who were they?"

Rommel chuckled, "The stars of the Third Regiment, the Seventh Squad along with Mister Hernandez and Commander McAllen."

The Princess thought for a moment, "We can't spare Commander McAllen, but I think that Squad Seven can that be given a bit of a vacation, and I happen to have property on the coast that would be perfect."

While Rommel couldn't see anything wrong with the idea, he had an uneasy feeling, one that he couldn't put his finger on.

* * *

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "You mean to say that we've been ordered to take a week off?"

Varrot nodded, "More than that, we've been given access to the Royal Estate on the coast as a thank you of sorts for the whole abduction business."

Welkin wouldn't deny that the squad needed a break. The constant and intense fighting was starting to wear on everyone and Fouzen was looking like it could be the straw that broke the camel's back. Alicia had taken to his quarters in the evenings since then and they rarely slept since it would usually end with one or both of them suffering night terrors.

Turning his attention back to Captain Varrot, he asked, "When do we head out?"

Varrot smiled, "I'll be joining you in the morning, we'll head out then." she replied before smirking, "I'm sure the squad will be happy for the break."

Welkin nodded, "They will, I suspect there will be little sleep tonight." he replied, '_Not like there was much anyways_' he thought.

Saluting the Captain, Welkin left her office and began spreading the word among the squad.

It didn't take long before the leave was made common knowledge in the squad, leaving only Joseph and Isara to tell, and he had a fairly good idea of where they were. Making his way to the medical wing of the fort, Alicia joined him and they entered. Isara and Joseph were off in a corner of the room, quietly basking in each other's presence. To no one's surprise, Isara was also cradling the baby they rescued from Fouzen.

Welkin and Alicia approached them and Welkin was first to speak, "How is she?" he asked.

Joseph gave them a sad smile, "She'll be alright, Isara's not letting her out of her sight."

Welkin smiled, but before he could say anything more, Gina stepped up, "Pardon me, but the paperwork you asked for has been filed Mister Hernandez, and if I may say, congratulations."

Joseph thanked Gina and she left them, then he saw the raised eyebrows of Welkin, Alicia, and Isara. "I asked them to start the paperwork so I could adopt the baby." he answered before stroking her cheek, "Riley Hernandez will have a family once more."

Alicia chuckled, "I'm surprised you think you can fight off Isara to keep the baby."

Joseph raised his eyebrow before shrugging, "Well, Isara's going to help me raise her so I think I can count myself safe in that matter." he replied before chuckling, "Besides, it'll be good practice for after we're married and have our own children!"

Surprised didn't even begin to describe how Isara felt. She looked up to her brother pleadingly. Welkin for his part, just shrugged, "As long as you're okay with it Isara, I have no problems with it."

Isara smiled, "Could one of you hold Riley for a moment? I need to do something."

Equal parts intrigued and concerned, Welkin accepted Riley into his arms. This led to Isara standing up, turning around, and snogging the dickens out of Joseph, who, for his part in the matter, did his best to keep up with her intensity.

Alicia's jaw dropped, but when she looked at Welkin it was clear that he didn't have any sort of ability to think for a while anyway. Rolling her eyes, she decided to take the opportunity in front of her, "Young eyes here!"

Isara and Joseph separated and Isara glared at her. "Oh, she's too young to understand."

Alicia raised an eyebrow, "I was talking about me."

Joseph's brain finally rebooted and he looked at Alicia, "Do you want me to talk about the Cabin in Kloden?"

Isara was slightly confused when Alicia and Welkin both turned a very bright red and decided to ask Joseph about it later. Looking at them, she asked, "Was there something we need to know, or were you just coming to tease?"

Welkin nodded, "Yes actually, we've been ordered to take a week of leave at the Princess' beachside estate." then he looked at Riley in his arms, "I'm sure we can convince the Medics to allow this little one to join us if you'd like."

Joseph agreed and they spent the rest of the day playing with Riley.

* * *

The next morning Squad Seven plus Joseph and Riley made their way to Wiltz for their leave. The trip itself didn't take long, only a few hours drive from the Capital and the squad split up once they reached the estate. The only thing of note was that Ekkehard and Catherine went for a swim while Varrot and Largo went for a walk around the estate, leaving Welkin and Alicia with Joseph, Isara, and Riley.

Joseph looked at his watch, "Well, I brought some supplies, so if I start now I should be able to finish grilling in time for dinner and treat everyone to some homestyle barbecue."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "Barbecue? What's that?"

Joseph furrowed his brow, trying to figure how to describe something that he grew up with. "Well," he began, "you take some meat and place it over a grill for a few hours then you make some other side dishes when it's just about done and a few hours after starting, you have enough food to feed a small army," he replied.

Welkin blinked, "There's not more to it than that?"

Joseph shrugged, "I mean, you do generally marinate it with a special marinade, I've already done that and left it overnight since it's a family recipe. Now I can just throw it on the grill and leave it, checking it every now and again to make sure it hasn't burnt into charcoal. It's not an exact science."

Welkin nodded, "If you don't mind, I'd like to watch and learn."

Joseph shrugged, "I don't see why not." he remarked before he and Welkin left the girls.

Almost immediately, Riley began fussing. Alicia, having experience from the orphanage, recognized the cry almost as quickly, "She's hungry."

Isara smiled as she began digging in her bag for Riley's food, "Thanks," she replied, "I'm starting to learn the difference in her cries, but it's still a learning experience."

Alicia chuckled, "It's alright Isara, nobody is a master of this sort of thing overnight." she replied before laying a hand on her shoulder, "I've had the benefit of years in an orphanage and helping the matron where I could, mostly with the little ones."

Isara hummed as she finally found the formula and bottle for Riley. As she began feeding Riley, she turned to Alicia, "When do you think my brother will stop dragging his feet and propose to you?"

Alicia shrugged, "Probably once the war is over. We're in no real rush." she replied, "What about you two, were you at all surprised yesterday?"

Isara shook her head, "Not at all to be honest. And truthfully, the only real surprise was that he hadn't already done it considering how close we already are."

Alicia smirked, knowing that Joseph had probably been concerned with Welkin's reaction more than if he truly loved Isara since that had been obvious since the day they met.

Out with their significant others, Joseph had laid the meat on the grill and was leaning back in one of the chairs, Welkin, on the other hand, had his sketchbook out and was drawing the gulls that flew overhead. Welkin had been a bit confused at how little involvement had been needed for this "barbecue" but decided against voicing it and to trust that Joseph knew what he was doing.

A sudden thought crossed his mind and he turned to Joseph, "Hey Joseph? I recall Ekkehard and you not getting on that well at first. What changed?"

Joseph shrugged, "During our war, I was a decent fighter pilot, and it turns out one of the German fighters I shot down happened to be his brother." he replied before shutting his eyes, "It was pure luck that I survived that encounter, he was a damn good pilot and had pretty much every advantage that you'd want in a dogfight."

Welkin nodded, understanding where Ekkehard was coming from. If something happened to Isara, he'd want revenge as well. But Joseph continued, "I don't think we'll ever be friends, but I think we have a degree of respect for the other."

Welkin hummed in agreement and went back to his drawings. "Is it just me, or did Ekkehard and Catherine look to be up to something?" he asked.

Joseph rolled his eyes, "I'd rather not think about that since I'm certain they're doing what the Captain and Largo are up to."

Welkin shuttered, "Not going there either."

They didn't talk that much afterward, Welkin focused on his drawings and Joseph would occasionally check the meat. Eventually, Joseph began making the side dishes, things like mashed potatoes, rice, and watermelon slices quickly filled the long picnic table.

By the early evening, most of the squad made their way to the table, though it was clear that a few of them were more than a bit sore from their activities of the day. Captain Varrot couldn't look at Largo without turning red, nor could Catherine look at Ekkehard without doing the same. Despite this, no one other than Joseph, Welkin, Alicia and Isara noticed and they weren't about to make mention of it, if only for their own sake.

Soon though, everyone was digging in and enjoying themselves. Stories were soon flying around, everyone had something interesting happen to them in their lives and would enrapture the others as they told the story. Welkin spoke of his father, portraying the Hero of Gallia as just another person, a caring father, and a kind soul. Alicia talked about her time in the orphanage, including the time that Christmas where the Gunther home played host for Christmas dinner. Isara spoke of her dream to see Darcsens maybe not at the same level of respect as everyone else, but at least accepted as people in her lifetime.

While Isara was speaking, Rosie was exceptionally quiet. Eventually Largo noticed, "What about you Rosie? What story do you have to tell?"

Rosie looked down, a sudden feeling of shame and sorrow coming over her. "When I was a little girl, some Darcsens came to my village. The next day, Imperial Darcsen Hunters came and slaughtered most of the village." she didn't even look up to know that pity would be on everyone's face. "My mother and father were among the dead."

Shocked faces adorned most of the squad whilst ones of realization adorned the faces of Joseph, Isara, Welkin and Alicia, now Rosie's outburst at the Battle for The Great Vasel Bridge made some sense.

No one said anything else for the rest of the night. However, the low mood couldn't last as the joyous atmosphere returned the next morning. The squad ate breakfast altogether, which led to some interesting events.

"Mail's here!" Welkin called.

Everyone turned to him, "Mail?" Joseph asked, "Who's got mail?"

Welkin looked at the envelope in his hand and placed it in front of Susie, "I trust he's being a complete gentleman? He was known as a bit of a flirt at university."

Susie smiled and nodded, "Yes he is, even if I lied to get us together." she replied. After everyone gave her a confused look, she explained, "I told him the week before the ball that Juno had bet that I would get lost in Randgriz and that the wager was attempted attendance to the ball, sorry Juno."

Juno laughed, "It's fine Susie, next time just warn me so I can find out if I'm collecting my 'winnings' or not."

Susie didn't hear Juno, in fact, Alicia was surprised at how red her friend became. Edy couldn't contain her curiosity any further and snatched the letter from Susie's hands. "What's this then? '_I long for the day when I'll hold you in my arms once more._' Sounds like someone's got a boyfriend."

Joseph snorted, "I'm sure that holding you is not the _only_ thing he misses." he remarked before looking at Welkin, "Your friend always use such flowery language?"

Welkin laughed, "That might be an understatement, Joseph."

Edy snorted, "Speaking of flowers, '_Your beauty is that of a flowering blossom._' It sounds like a romance is blossoming between you two."

Joseph smirked, "Sounds like it has."

Catherine glanced at Susie, specifically her stomach, "Might not be the only thing that's blossoming."

At that point Susie was far too mortified to speak, allowing her to remember that she wanted to speak with one of the medics that day. Thankfully for her, everyone was soon distracted by Hans running through with Isara's shawl with Isara in hot pursuit, "HANS! Get your arse back here with my shawl!"

The distraction of everyone being stunned at Isara's swearing was perfect for Susie as she took back her letter and left the room unnoticed. Largo looked at Welkin, "Didn't think she had it in her."

Welkin shook his head, "Neither did I."

Joseph snorted, "She tore me a new one after I ran off to find you two in Kloden. If she's pissed at you, boy she can let fly."

Ekkehard rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that's all you two did after the craziness that was Kloden."

Letting Catherine slap Ekkehard upside the head, Joseph facepalmed, "Our first time will be our Wedding Night, which will be whenever this bloody war has been won." then he jerked his thumb at Welkin and Alicia, "Unlike these two."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Joseph felt a shiver run down his spine. Largo laid a hand on his shoulder, "Kid. Run."

Thus began a nearly day-long chase, Welkin and Alicia wanted to get to Joseph to make sure he wouldn't let loose any details. Most of the squad, sans Largo, Captain Varrot, Isara, and Susie, wanted those details if only to have some gossip on Welkin and Alicia.

In the end, Joseph managed to evade both groups by hiding in the one place they wouldn't _dare_ try and find him, the Edelweiss. The rest of their leave progressed fairly similarly as they just tried their best to relax and be a relatively normal group of young adults and teens, including the daily teasing of Susie with the fact that she always got a letter in the morning.

* * *

On the evening of their final day, Isara and Joseph stood looking over the sea on their balcony. Isara leaned into Joseph's chest, feeling more at peace and the most relaxed she had ever felt. "Looking over the sea like this, it's hard to remember that there is a war going on. A part of me wants to stay here until it's over."

Joseph smiled at her and rubbed her back, "This is why we fight. To live for these days, days of peace without the screams of the dying nor the smell of the gunsmoke. Where cars can roll out of the factory instead of tanks, where kids can have toys instead of guns. Where the question is when Dad's coming home, not if. Fighting so that Gallia may remain free and in peace. This is why we sacrifice our safety and sometimes our lives. So that our children and their children don't have to know the fear and terror that is omnipresent in our lives."

Isara turned around and wrapped her arms around him, worried for the future, but knowing that she would face it with him by her side. "I love you, Joseph."

Joseph pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I love you too Isara."

There they stood for a few hours, the setting sun making for a picturesque scene, one that would be captured by Alicia that somehow went unnoticed by the couple. Their fears and dreams set aside for the moment, settling for holding each other as if tonight was their last night alive. Little did they know just how close they would come to being correct…

* * *

_**Well finally finished this chapter, I'm sure if you were on my Discord you'd have heard me moaning about this chapter and it being difficult to write. I have been informed that due to the current events, all of the family reunions have been canned, so I'll have an entire summer to write, meaning that until late September I can just write. In about 12 or so hours, a special point will be reached, this fic will turn 1 year old, this is by far the longest I have ever worked on a fic that is currently getting updates, thankfully, I don't see this taking another year to finish (At least it better not else my Discord might get a bit riotous)**_

_**Until Next Time, Stay Safe.**_


	15. Episode VII

Upon their return to the Capital, Welkin and Captain Varrot were summoned to the War Room. Once they arrived, they noticed they were one of the last to arrive, "Captain, Lieutenant. Perfect timing." Rommel remarked. "We were just about to begin."

Taking their seats, they listened to Rommel explain the reason for the meeting of most of the Gallian military, "Thanks to the information provided to us by former Imperials and recon done by Gallian spies, we believe that the Imperial War Machine is starting to grind to a halt. This belief is bolstered by what we know of Operation Northern Cross being undertaken by the Federation seeing as though Imperial forces are being pushed on multiple fronts. Our goal, therefore, is to achieve one of two options: first, we are successful in completely forcing the Imperials out of Gallia, leaving them to be forced to sue for peace. Or two, we make the Gallian Campaign so costly for them, they are forced to sue for peace to consolidate their forces to deal with the Federation invasion."

This was sure to capture peoples attention and Rommel pressed his point. "A four-pronged assault should see Imperial forces pushed to the brink. Army Group South shall take the southern front, the area around Kloden, and force the Imperials to leave after all they've been through. Army Group Centre shall take the Barious Desert, we still have reports of an Imperial presence in the area and need to neutralise it. Meanwhile, I'll take Army Group North to the plains of Naggiar to begin to put pressure on Ghirlandaio while the Militia takes Marberry Shore, securing the flanks." Looking around, Rommel made sure that the officers heard this next bit, "Officers will have local autonomy to control the battle, there will be no need to route battleplans through me as I'm putting my trust in you that you all know what you are doing. Any questions?" he asked, to which he got nothing, "The attacks start on the twentieth. Good luck."

With that, everyone dispersed. With a week before the attacks, Welkin knew that they'd be moving out soon. Varrot was of a similar mindset, "Get your squad ready Welkin, we move tomorrow morning at 0600."

Welkin nodded, it was too late to move now, it was the early evening after all, but in the morning there would be plenty of time. The squad, for the most part, was ready to get back out into the field and end this war.

Four days later, their march to Rohen, their base of operations for the battle was complete. After they had arrived, Welkin began pouring over the maps that the higher-ups had provided. This was turning out to be one of those occasions where Welkin hated the fame his squad had achieved since they and the Third Militia had been assigned to take on the most fortified base of the Imperials and the only path to attack it was a direct frontal assault from the beaches. Just as he was beginning to try and figure out how to take it without losing his entire squad, he got a pleasant surprise, "Lieutenant?"

Welkin looked up, "Captain von Essen, Commander McAllen, what can I do for you?"

Wilhelm smirked, "How about I soften up your target with my ship while McAllen gives you cover."

Welkin slumped in relief, "Thank you, I might be able to keep my squad alive then."

Wilhelm chuckled, "Don't worry, during our war we Germans built a massive coastal wall and dared the British to attack, but the Imperials came before they got the chance so we know a thing or two about coastal forts."

Crìsdean chuckled, but they set to work planning the assault. Looking at the map, Wilhelm rubbed his chin, "I can see what your Captain was telling me, the only feasible avenue of attack is the front door, practically a naval invasion."

Crìsdean frowned, "Intelligence suggests as many as a hundred aircraft in the area, some ground-attack designed ones in addition to the general Bombers and Fighters." he mentioned, "If you begin your attack too early, or take too long, you'll be out in the open, though that can work to your advantage."

Just then, Isara entered the room, "Forgive the intrusion, but I may have something that can help with that."

The three men raised their eyebrows at her and she supplied a grenade from her uniform, "I've been working out a smoke grenade for the infantry and a smokescreen shell for the Edelweiss and it's proven successful in tests."

Wilhelm smirked, "Those'll do nicely I think, well done Corporal."

Isara bowed her head at the praise and left the men to continue planning. Which they did into the night.

The twentieth of May came and the Imperials of the Marberry fortress began with their morning meals. However, they were soon interrupted by the mess hall receiving a direct hit from the _Tirpitz_'s main battery. Captain von Essen had his ship fire all of its primary ammunition in the general direction of the Imperials and, when the quartermaster was asked by the gunnery officers what to do since it was their first time receiving such orders, he simply said, "Men, we aren't paid to bring ammunition home."

Welkin watched from the shoreline, just out of range of the Imperial guns as they began to simply cease to exist. Suddenly it began to seem like they would have a shot at this. Joseph looked to the sky, "Crìs, Fighters incoming, bombers behind."

Crìsdean nodded, then looked to his sides, "I copy Jman, Red Squadron, focus on the bombers, Blue and Green on me, we're going after those fighters."

Most of the squadrons acknowledged, one spoke up though, "Blue Leader, I count 60 fighters, some biplane but most seem to be on par with us. Can we handle that?"

Crìsdean pursed his lips, "We can Blue Five, move into position and let rip."

The Seafires split apart and engaged in battle. Just then, Alicia spoke up, "Imperials incoming!"

Welkin looked down from the battle in the air and saw what Imperials had survived the first few rounds of the bombardment coming towards them. "Squad Seven! Prepare to repel the Imperials! Don't get drawn in and chase them back to their base until _Tirpitz_ finishes their fire mission! Move out!"

The battle on the ground progressed just as Welkin expected, the Imperials threw everything they could at the Sevens. It was only down to the fact that Isara had spent the last week designing and making a new type of grenade for them that the Sevens were able to progress, "Hey Joseph! Thank your fiancee for the Smoke Grenades when this is over for us will ya?" Largo shouted.

Joseph smirked "Got it!" he replied before downing a charging Imperial scout, "Least the orders were easy."

Rosie nodded, "Kill or be killed, rather not do the latter."

"Quite!" Welkin called into his radio, "_Tirpitz_ has concluded their fire mission, push into that base Sevens!"

Up in the air, things weren't going as well, "Blue Squadron, protect Red!" Crìsdean ordered.

Green Leader spoke up "Sir! You _are_ Blue Squadron right now and there's nothing of Red left!"

Crìsdean frowned, dodging the fire from the three Imperial fighters on his tail, "Green Leader, what's left of Green Squadron?"

Green Leader sighed, "4,5, and 9 were shot down, they seem to have splashed down so they might have survived, 2 and 7 had their planes get shredded by enemy fire."

Crìsdean groaned "You mean to tell me we're down to half of a squadron and we still have about five full squadrons of Imps to take down?" he asked, getting no reply, "Cac."

Just then, his radio came to life, "Commander, this is Manfred von Richthofen, sorry to be late, but a mutual friend gave my plane a few upgrades. Coming in on your six."

Crìsdean spun his head around "WHAT?" he shouted, nearly deafening everyone on the radio, including Richthofen himself. However, flying up on his six was indeed the red Fokker Dr.I the Red Baron was famous for. "Ó caithfidh tú a bheith ag scairteadh orm!" he muttered.

If Manfred understood what Crìsdean was saying, he didn't say, "I'll go after the bombers, cover me."

"On it." Crìsdean ground out.

What followed was the Triplane making a run on the Imperial bombers and destroying all 12 of them, then the Red Baron turned his attention to the fighters and joined Crìsdean in destroying the remaining ones… well, the ones that had survived longer than five minutes cause Crìsdean's rage quickly became apparent as he decimated the enemy forces.

On the ground, things continued to progress rather well for Squad 7. They had managed to push into the Imperial base and orders had come through to hold their position as Squad 1 and the rest of the Third regiment finished the battle. Welkin and Alicia we off to the side, softly talking, Joseph had taken out his binoculars to peer at the air battle and the rest of the squad were resting near the Edelweiss. Isara poked her head out of the Edelweiss, face covered in grime from the engine. Rosie was the first to notice and stood up, "Still not happy with that engine, kid?"

Isara smiled, "I don't think I'll ever be happy with it."

Rosie nodded, understanding the feeling. However, she didn't expect to see Isara's eyes widen and for her to leap on top of her as a gun went off.

The quiet conversations, the birds chirping, even the waves crashing on the shore seemed to go silent for the whole squad as Isara let out a sharp cry of pain. Time seemed to stand still as Rosie got out from under Isara, only for Isara to not get up and everyone to realize that there was blood on Rosie's uniform. And it wasn't hers.

Suddenly, Crìsdean's plane flew overhead and fired it's guns, strafing the Imperials who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. This roused most of the squad to pick up their weapons and opened fire on the Imperials themselves, with the exceptions of Joseph and Rosie who stayed by Isara's side. Neither said a word as they worked to stabilize her until the medics got there.

The Imperials quickly retreated after it was clear that they could not win, though they took heavy losses on the way out. Crìsdean's voice came through on the radio, "Squad Seven, come in. Joseph, do you read?"

At that moment, Gina ran up and took over for Rosie and Joseph, allowing him to answer Crìsdean, "I… I read Crìs."

Crìsdean was afraid to ask, "Did someone get hit?"

Joseph nearly broke down, "Isara was hit before you began your run. It's bad."

The radio fell silent and the rest of the squad came up to them. All afraid to ask the critical question, but all knew it had to be asked. Soon, Gina came up to them, hands covered in blood, "I've managed to stabilize Corporal Gunther and have put her in a coma to help her recover. She should make it, but it will be a long time before she's awake, much less up and about."

Joseph felt his knees give out as he clung to those four words. "She should make it" repeating in his mind. Welkin soon joined him kneeling on the ground as Alicia wrapped her arms around him. As the sun set over the horizon, it set on a Squad that had started the day reinvigorated after a week's leave, but by its end, had sunk to lower than it had been when it went on leave. In the back of Joseph's mind, Lady's words to him sounded again, "The remainder of the war will be hard, not only physically, but psychically as well, even Crìsdean will be hard-pressed to keep it together." and he wondered, would they keep it together…

* * *

**The incapacitation of Isara struck harder than any other bullet or bomb ever could for Squad 7. Even outside of the squad, people were hit hard as Isara had been beloved by many. Something that would become apparent in the days to come...**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Well... that didn't take long at all... nothing really to say either.**_

_**Until Next Time: Stay Safe**_


	16. Interlude IV

It was almost like a nightmare. The only difference being that no one could wake up. The soft and slow beeping of the hospital monitor was the only sound in Isara's room. Between the six people in the room, no one said a word and hadn't for hours. Welkin had taken a chair by Isara's bedside and had Alicia in his lap, neither had been more than an arms' length away from each other or Isara for hours now and it was starting to tell. Largo and Captain Varrot hadn't been that far off either, but she had to report the completion of the operation, even then, Command had quietly acknowledged it and let her loose, no matter how unprofessional it seemed to the other officers, it was well known how much she concerned herself with the welfare of her squad and the Gunthers in particular. Joseph was an expected sight, it was his fiancée in the bed after all, as was the fact that he was sat on the other side of the bed to Welkin and Alicia and was gently rubbing Isara's hand. What had been an unexpected sight was that Rosie also was in the room, sat at the foot of Isara's bed.

Fina stepped into the room, her face betraying none of the apprehension she felt. Every Militia medic in Randgriz was current gearing up for the surgery Isara needed and none of them were particularly optimistic. On top of the broken ribs and the collapsed lung, everyone was concerned about the possible nerve damage and the damage to her spinal column. Nobody was saying it yet, but even though they were all confident that Isara would live, no one was sure if she'd be able to walk again when she woke up.

That thought nearly made her slip her mask, sending her on a roller-coaster of emotions. From feeling fear and concern for Isara to feeling anger and hatred for the doctors of the Gallian Army. Though General Rommel had done his best to work out the issues with the Army and Militia, when he wasn't around, they had no incentive to play nice with the Militia.

She pushed those thoughts from her mind as she drew herself to the present. "Excuse me, but it's time for the surgery," she announced.

Never had she seen a group move so sombrely out of the room, and she'd had to give the worst news possible to a group before. She carted Isara to the Operating Room before getting suited up in the scrubs she was certain would become second nature to her.

After watching Isara get wheeled away, they all looked at each other, none of them quite knew what to say. Finally, the silence was broken by Captain Varrot, "I'm going to go see what excuse the Army has for being late." she remarked before turning to Largo, "Care to join me and make sure I don't main anyone?"

Largo shook his head, "I'd probably rip someone's arms off." he replied before turning to Joseph, "Come on kid, let's get you some food so you're awake when she comes out."

Varrot left by herself while the rest of them went off to the mess. All except Alicia. She peeled off from the group and made a side stop in the makeshift prison they had and a very specific cell.

* * *

In the cell, a lone prisoner sat in the corner, making himself as small as possible so as to not be seen. Alicia waved off the guards and entered the cell. She knew he had been the sniper who shot Isara, he had been the only one holding a sniper rifle, but he had also been frozen in shock as the squad captured him without resistance. In truth, Alicia didn't know what she thought she would learn, but something told her to speak with him. "Hello there."

To her surprise, the soldier jumped and pressed himself into the wall, as if she was going to kill him then and there. "Whoa. No need to get all jumpy, nobody's going to hurt you." __at least legally__ she added mentally, hoping that Welkin would be able to keep Joseph away. Kneeling in front of the soldier, Alicia pulled his hands away from his face, "My name's Alicia, what's yours?"

The soldier shook, "R-Ralph."

Alicia moved him over to his cot, the sheets having never been unfolded, "Why are you scared, Ralph?"

Ralph looked down, "I saw how much you all care for the girl." he mumbled.

Alicia frowned, "Even though she's a Darcsen?"

Ralph looked up in shock, "I didn't… I didn't see she was a Darcsen… I… her face… it was like my sister, staring at me… as if I betrayed her…"

Alicia frown grew deeper, but she didn't have time to respond as Ralph wailed, "I wish I never joined the Army! I don't want to die!"

Neither of them said another word, nor did the guards who had peeked in and grew remorseful on seeing the prisoner sob. After a while, Ralph sobbed himself to sleep, to which Alicia, in a display of her motherly instincts, took the care to tuck him in. On looking back into the cell, she made up her mind. She'd talk with Captain Varrot to see what could be done for him if anything. She just hoped that she would be able to make a difference for him.

* * *

_"___Everyone in?" One of the medics asked.__

__Gina, Fina, and Mina looked at each other, between the three of them, they made up half of the operating team and nobody had any real surgical experience outside of their classes. Taking the silence as agreement, the lead medic looked at each of them, "Let's get to work."__

* * *

"WHAT? What do you mean 'there is no way we can help you'? you have several __dozen__ doctors and surgeons! We have __six__! And all of those are battlefield medics!" Alicia heard Captain Varrot shout. Just from that, she decided against entering the room, but instead, to stay outside the door and eavesdrop on the argument.

A calm voice replied, though there was an undercurrent of anger to it, "All of our supplies are for Army personnel, and besides, all our surgeons are busy."

"Busy doing what Colonel? Sitting on their arses? You lot barely took a knock during the whole campaign whilst the Militia fought tooth and nail for every inch of ground! The only reason the rest of the Militia isn't in such a state is thanks to the assistance of the Chief of the Air Force and the Captain von Essen!"

A rather loud bang was heard and Alicia thought for a moment that a chair fell over, at least that's what it sounded like, "I would like you to remember who is the Colonel here! Dismissed __Captain__!"

Captain Varrot exited the room and shut the door behind her, albeit with a lot more force than was needed. It was then that she noticed Alicia standing there, "Ah, Sergeant, just how much did you hear?"

Alicia slumped her shoulders, "Enough." she replied, drawing a frown from Varrot, "General Rommel's not going to be pleased when he hears about this."

Varrot shrugged, "Maybe, but we're not in his line of fire when it does happen."

Alicia grimaced, she knew she was right, but she also knew that if Captain Varrot was going to the Army for help, it was bad. Captain Varrot looked at her, "Now since you came to me, I might assume that you need something that I can do. What is it?"

Alicia sighed, "The prisoner who shot Isara is a scared boy and while I don't want to just return him to the Empire, he spent the last hour crying himself to sleep regretting his enlistment and fearing that he would be executed just because we all care for Isara."

Varrot frowned, it reeked of questionability, but at the same time, a small part of her wondered if he was being truthful. "I'll look into the matter, but I make no promises." she replied before gesturing to the mess, "But for right now, I feel completely drained and could use a bite to eat, care to join me?"

Alicia shrugged and joined her, honestly, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting but she'd take what she got.

* * *

_"___Bloody Hell, this bullet made it awkward." The lead medic muttered.__

__Gina looked at the beeping monitor, trying to discern what it was telling them when it hit her like a tank. "Blood Pressure is dropping fast!"__

__The lead medic curled his lip under his mask, "Blast! Prepare Ragnade. Ah! Found you." he muttered as he clamped the errant artery shut.__

* * *

As Alicia and Captain Varrot entered the Mess Hall, they had been expecting to slip beside their significant others and rest for a moment. What greeted them, however, was Joseph battering Crìsdean, but Crìsdean not defending himself.

Rushing over to a stunned looking Welkin, Varrot asked, "What happened here?"

Welkin, slightly coming out of his stupor, replied, "I'm not sure, we were eating when Crìsdean entered and Joseph suddenly jumped up and shouted'¡Bastardo! ¡Has matado a Isara!' at him. Whatever that means." Welkin then shook his head, "Crìsdean then replied with 'Rinne mé iarracht Iósaef a shábháil, níor mharaigh mé í.' which Catherine tells me is him telling Joseph that he tried to save Isara."

Varrot blinked, "And none of you thought to stop them?"

Rosie and Largo turned to her, blood streaming from their noses and bruises forming on their faces, "We did Ele, got these as battle trophies."

Before Varrot could express her shock, some of the base guards ran in and jumped on Joseph, the four burliest men only just managed to pull him off Crìsdean and to the ground, where the other five guards piled on to subdue him. Crìsdean, for his part, stumbled to the side and gripped the edge of a table. "ENOUGH!" He shouted.

The guards jumped up, surprised, "But sir!" one of them tried to say.

Crìsdean, however, wasn't having any of it, "Let him go, he's just watched his wife-to-be get shot by Imperials, he doesn't need any broken bones and he is not to be punished."

For their part, the guards hauled Joseph to his feet and brushed off the dirt on him. Even if he had been attacking the CiC of the RGAF, he __was__ a national hero. One of them tried to approach Crìsdean, but he waved him off, "Sir, you are bleeding from your nose and I'm sure you will have bruised, if not broken, ribs. You need medical attention."

Crìsdean scoffed, "I've suffered worse injures over the Channel and Ol' Blighty, I'll be fine." he replied before leaving the room.

No one else said much of anything after that.

* * *

__The lead medic looked at their dwindling supplies. "Gina, I need you to use your… 'procurement' skills to resupply our stocks, I'm worried we may run out."__

__Gina nodded, "On it." she replied before booking it out of the Operating Theater.__

* * *

Crìsdean walking into his temporary office, blood staining his uniform, but it wasn't like he didn't have dozens of them anyways. He walked over to the window, quietly noting the squadrons getting ready for take-off to try and relieve the pressure across the front. He thought about the words Joseph had thrown his way during their scuffle. He could never forgive himself for his failure to save Isara, even if she survived, he would still blame himself for her injury.

He had always taken loss hard, he had not been exaggerating when he said that he spent nearly a decade a mute after losing his beloved. But Gallia had opened him up, he was letting people into his life when before he only focused on the mission.

Sitting down at his desk, he scribbled a short note. It wouldn't do much, he suspected, but perhaps the message would get through.

With nothing else to do, Crìsdean took one last look around the office, pointed his service pistol at his chest, and squeezed the trigger…

* * *

__Isara took a look around her. She was in an unfamiliar space yet felt no fear, as if she had seen this place before, perhaps in a dream?__

__Looking below her, a single lady in a flowing white dress sat at the edge of a luscious pond, tree and flowers surrounded her. But what caught Isara's attention was her green hair. With little else to do, Isara approached the lady, who seemed to have sensed her arrival, "Hello Isara Gunther, I must admit, I didn't expect to see you here so soon."__

__Isara jumped, "How do you know my name? And what are you talking about?"__

__The lady turned around, allowing Isara a glimpse of the lady's youthfulness, but also the great sadness she seemed to carry. "I know all. I see all. I am Lady, resident Goddess and Creator of all known and unknown universes. That is how I know you and your name. As for what I mean…" she paused, a frown adorning her face, "I had hoped that Joseph and Commander McAllen would have been able to prevent you from getting shot. But that seems to have not been the case."__

__Isara looked down, "I'm dead then?"__

__Lady laughed, "Oh no, far from it, there are many people currently working to ensure that you have a long and full life and they'll succeed. I just thought that you wouldn't come to my portal world quite so soon." here, Lady gestured to the pond, "Here I can check on all of the universes I created and check for anything that isn't going the way I'd like."__

__Isara watched as the pond rippled then calmed, presenting the image of a young blond girl and a young brown-haired boy getting married, their friends looking on, even if the boy's side was rather sparse only a few people. Lady took notice, "Ah, yes, it's about time he had some level of happiness in his life." she murmured before making the pond muddy up and prevented any further glimpses.__

__Isara's eyes grew heavy, and Lady noticed, "Your time grows near, rest easy Isara, you'll be back in the fight before you know it."__

__Isara shimmered for a moment and faded away. Lady smiled, feeling a familiar presence come, "Hello love, I see the boy you were so concerned with married his true love."__

__A male voice spoke up, "Yes, Scott's wedding was well worth it, even if I could only watch and not partake in the festivities." he said before injecting an air of concern, "And how is Gallia? I saw the Shatterpoint with you a moment ago."__

* * *

Gina ran around the storeroom the Army held their medical supplies, hoping to grab enough stuff to keep Isara alive but be quick enough to avoid getting caught. She had managed to find most of what she needed, except for the Ragnade. "Where did they store that stuff?" she muttered.

"You mean this?" a voice said, dropping some Ragnade into her bag.

Gina gasped and spun around, to be greeted by a rather attractive Army Surgeon, if she remembered her Army Class Insignias correctly. Only just keeping the shock out of her voice, Gina asked, "You're not going to report me?"

The surgeon shook his head, "Far from it, I'm probably going to be reported for this, but I can't sit idly by while I could be helping someone in need. Corporal Gunther needs all the help she can get."

Gina smiled, "Well, I've got all that I need, you can accompany me back, surgeon?"

The surgeon smiled back, casing Gina to flush slightly, "Surgeon Jokiem Gleaves, Medic Sellers."

Gina lugged her bag to her side, "Well in that case…"

She was cut off by the distinctive sound of a gunshot. Quickly coming to a decision, she turned to Jokiem, "Take these to the OpTheater. Quickly now!"

Knowing that his skill was in surgery and hers was in battlefield medicine, he took off with the medical supplies. Gina on the other hand ran off in the direction of Commander McAllen's office. She knew that the last battle had hit him hard, and reports of a brawl between him and Joseph had made their way to her ears.

She attempted to open his door, only to find it locked. Banging on the door, she called out "Commander! Open up!"

The pained groan she heard on the other side of the door only heightened her concern "Commander!" she cried out. Throwing herself against the door, trying to break it down, she only managed to bruise her shoulder.

Finally, a Lancer came up and broke down the door for her. What greeted them shook many of them to their core. Commander McAllen sat up in his chair, eyes half shut with a single gunshot wound in the center of his chest, his chest slowly and slightly rising and falling as he drew some breath still.

Almost without even thinking about what she was doing, Gina began applying the lifesaving paste to his wound, hoping that she wasn't too late to save his life.

* * *

By the evening, most, if not all, of the base had heard of Crìsdean's attempted suicide, most were in shock that a War Hero would try to take their own life. To no one's surprise, the Gallian Army's doctors and surgeons "magically" finished their operations and rushed to save his life. Welkin sat in Captain Varrot's office, still reeling from the many blows of the past few days. Captain Varrot was similarly shocked, but she couldn't think about it much, "Welkin, the Generals are sending us off to assist the Eastern Force." she began.

Welkin sighed, "No rest for the wicked I guess."

Captain Varrot sighed, "I know…" she murmured before looking at him, "If we finish this war in one piece, you, me, Largo, Alicia, Joseph, and Isara are going to drink some of the bottles of brandy I've kept for special occasions."

Considering that she rarely drank anything stronger than her morning cup of tea, a part of Welkin was surprised that she would even __have__ any sort of alcohol. However, a larger part of him agreed, he needed a drink. "Where are they sending us?"

Captain Varrot actually grew a small smile, "We're tasked with retaking Bruhl."

* * *

_**Well, that's another chapter done, we're in the endgame now, only got 5 more updates for this story planned.**_

**_There was nothing in the reviews that I haven't covered before, so until next time, stay safe._**


	17. Episode VIII

When Welkin told the squad that they were heading for Bruhl, a grim determination came over them. With the medics being tight-lipped about Isara's condition, they resolved to at least have Bruhl in Gallian hands so Isara could recover at home. Alicia laid in his arms that night, neither wanting to be far from the other at this time. "It's only been about three months since the war started and already we're almost back to the pre-war borders."

Welkin nodded, "I know, I thought it would be at least another two to three months before we'd get anywhere close to this point if we lasted that long. But that was before we knew about the Germans and the British."

It didn't take much longer before the conversation turned to Isara, "Do you think she'll be alright, even after she's physically recovered?" Alicia asked.

Welkin sighed, "I don't know, if it was just her wound, I'd say absolutely. But with everything else that's happened, I don't know if any of us will ever be 'alright' ever again."

Alicia hummed quietly, not sure what to make of that. However, a few minutes later, a more pressing issue arose, "Welkin, I feel like I'm about to be sick…"

Welkin, with more energy then he thought he had at that late an hour, rose and carried her to the toilet, just in time too as that's night's dinner made its reappearance. Choosing to remain quiet, Welkin just kept her hair out of her face and rubbed her back until she finished retching, at least for the moment.

Alicia would make four more trips to the toilet that night, eventually just throwing up bile and acid. Welkin did his best, helping her get there, making some tea in the morning that had anti-nausea properties in it, and just generally trying to help Alicia as best he could since neither of them knew what was wrong. The squad could tell that she wasn't feeling well, but there was little they could do since they needed to march.

* * *

It took them several days before they finally made it within sight of the ruined windmill of Bruhl. The morning of June the Fourth, before the first rays of dawn, Welkin drew his battleplan quickly and with his vast knowledge of his hometown. "Snipers seem to have taken roost in the Sister's Windmill and that seems to be one of their two bases in the area. Since that is the easy one to take on, we converge on it from three angles: the side-street, the main road, and Belgan Gunther Road. Edelweiss shall take the main road since it is most exposed to sniper fire. The rest of you, stick to the buildings and cover as best you can, once the Imperials figure out we mean to retake the town, they'll either try and hold the plaza or fall back to their second base."

Largo frowned, "Where's is their secondary base then?" having a bad feeling about the answer.

Welkin sighed, "They're using my home."

That quickly put a damper on things and not much more was said as everyone knew what to do. The battle that followed was short and barely took an hour. Most of the Imperials were routed as soon as they reached the main plaza and it seemed to have been a token force as it was only a small group they had faced. After which, they made a short journey to the Gunther house to find a white flag hanging out of a window and the Imperial Command Staff standing in front of the house with arms raised. Granted, once Welkin dismounted a few of them paled significantly and one actually fainted, causing a few in the squad to smirk.

Soon, everyone was relaxing in the main plaza. Well, almost everyone, Largo had been lost in thought when Captain Varrot walked up, "What' bothering you Largo?" she asked.

Largo sighed, "Bruhl's an important crossroads town, there should have been more than a few command squads and the like defending it."

Varrot hummed, "Well, we are pushing them hard on every front, and so is the Federation," she remarked before looking around, "Where's Susie, Alicia and Welkin?"

Largo smirked, "Evans is with her boyfriend, she was a bit emotional after liberating her hometown." he replied before looking down, "Welkin and Alicia wanted a moment alone in the house."

* * *

Welkin looked through the kitchen where barely three months ago, Isara defended Martha from Imperials, the lack of dirt and dust indicating that even though the Imperials occupied the place, they were at least tidy. The fact that the beds hadn't been used, rather the officers had slept on cots in the main room also showed that at least the Imperials showed some respect to their home.

Alicia walked over to him, resting a hand on his back, "You doing okay?"

Welkin took a deep breath, "I'm not sure." he murmured, "A part of me wishes that I had just dropped Isara off somewhere and fought this war myself if only so this moment wasn't so bittersweet."

Alicia grew a small smile, "You know that Isara would have found her way to the fight, and you might have damaged your relationship with your sister." she replied before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder, "Have faith that the medics will succeed."

Welkin knew she was right, but it still wasn't easy. "We should head back, don't want them to send out the search parties."

Alicia sighed, "As much as I want to argue, you're right."

* * *

As soon as they reached the plaza, they were approached by Susie Evans, "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you now sir…" she began before realizing that most of the squad was listening in, "but I'm afraid I've been medically discharged from the Militia."

Both Welkin and Alicia were shocked, "Medically discharged?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

Susie winced, and Faldio came over to see what all the fuss was about. Deciding to continue, "I was feeling slightly off and certain… normalcies weren't happening so I asked the medics if they could dispel my suspicions and they could not." she replied, trying to dance around the matter but only succeeding in receiving a slightly annoyed glance from Welkin, "It turns out that I'm pregnant."

A sudden whoop was heard and everyone looked over and saw Faldio looking far more ecstatic than normal, "I'd get down on a knee, but I don't have a ring right now…" he began, but he didn't get any further as Susie leapt on him.

While most of the members from Squads One and Seven cheered, a few other members were quieter than the others as the seeds of concern took root in their minds. The war, suddenly, looked a lot closer to being done than ever before…

* * *

**Though Miss Evans would be missed from the squad, the war marched on. Entrusting her with the Gunther Estate until their return, Welkin and the rest of the Gallian forces turned their gaze upon the last two holdouts of Imperial Power in Gallia: the Naggiar Plains, and Citadel Ghirlandaio. The Climax of the war and the final nail in the coffin of the Imperial ambitions in Gallia would be nailed at Naggiar, only four days later…**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**


	18. Episode IX

By the time the Third Regiment of the Gallian Militia reached the plains of Naggiar, the battle had been raging for weeks. General Rommel and his troops had been trying to break the Imperial lines, but even with reinforcements pouring in from the fronts that had been cleared, the Imperials weren't giving an inch of ground.

As Welkin walked into the forward command tent Rommel had set up, he forced himself not to flinch at the proximity of the artillery shells landing around him. Rommel was the first General he'd ever met in war who directed the battle from the front, the last Gallian to do so was his father. Much to Welkin's surprise, Rommel wasn't there, though Ekkehard was, "Lieutenant, where's the General?"

Ekkehard sighed, "Probably in a Panzer IV and trying to push the frontlines, though that's if the Panther he was in when he left the camp was knocked out already."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "You say that as if he's done that often."

One of the Captains snorted, "Serve with Herr Rommel for long enough, you learn real quick that Der Mittelpunkt is wherever he happens to be."

Welkin raised an eyebrow "Der Mittelpunkt?"

Ekkehard nodded, "Means 'Focal Point' in our native language." he replied before looking at the officers, "Well, since Herr Rommel is probably aggressively reconnoitring the enemy lines, I'll handle briefing."

Everyone nodded and gathered around a table that had a map of the local area. "From what spies have gathered, and we have observed in the field, it appears as though the Empire is throwing together one last stand here, to keep us from reaching Citadel Ghirlandaio. Estimates put the better part of ten thousand men on the enemy's side with hundreds, if not thousands more in the air."

One of the officers spoke up, "And just how is the Luftwaffe holding?"

Ekkehard sighed, "They're not, latest reports leave three squadrons with flyable planes and living pilots. We've been lending what aid we can, but the Flaks are still two to three days out and from what we can tell, the enemy is preparing for one last desperate attack. In what we've decided to call Operation Citadel, our goal is to pierce the enemy lines and either encircle the enemy forces before us right now, or we make a break for Ghirlandaio. Any questions?"

Welkin quickly ran the numbers through his head, they were only really short a thousand or more men, hopefully, their skill would make up for that. However, the state of the air war concerned him. "There's nothing to be done to even the field in the air?" he asked.

Ekkehard sighed, "Doubtful, not unless a stellar pilot can be found, the AA guns get here in the next few hours or Richthofen is the real thing and can somehow double or quadruple his kill count from his time. And even then, we cannot do much more than hope and pray that they have the skill advantage over the Imperial Pilots."

Seeing no other questions, Ekkehard lowered his head, "Then get some rest, hopefully, by this time tomorrow, the Empire will be on the run and Gallia will be days from peace."

With that, everyone parted ways, letting Welkin inform his squad as to the situation. He did not envy the pilots for the odds they had to face, and he worried about Joseph. Much of the squad shared his concerns but never voiced them, Alicia would try to talk to him, but Joseph wouldn't say much, or anything really.

Welkin looked to the skies as if trying to glimpse some inspiration in the clouds, he knew that both Gallian and Imperial forces were lining up for one climactic battle, but he couldn't easily tell who held the advantage. Tomorrow would determine the fate of the war, he just knew it.

* * *

When morning came, Welkin walked out of his tent and noticed that Rommel was helping fix up one of the Panzers, probably the one he had been in yesterday. Alicia followed him out shortly. That was another who had been quiet, though she had only been quiet since the end of the Second Battle for Bruhl. The night before, she had told him her suspicions and how Susie's leaving the squad had put it in her mind. Welkin wasn't blind, he could also see Captain Varrot and Catherine having the same suspicions but had decided against speaking up, instead just pointing the medics in their direction and asking for discretion. For his part, Welkin wasn't sure what to make of it. Oh, he hoped with all of his being that they would have a baby, he just hoped that their baby wouldn't have to worry about him or Alicia.

Feeling a hand on his back, Welkin turned and saw Alicia looking at him with concern, "You doing okay?"

Welkin thought for a moment before suddenly saying, "Abigail."

Alicia raised an eyebrow, "Abigail?"

Welkin nodded, "I think that would be a beautiful name for a baby girl, what about you?"

Alicia smiled, "I like it." she quietly replied, pressing a kiss to Welkin's cheek.

Unfortunately, their moment of levity could not last and moments later word had been received out to finalize their preparations for battle. The squad had just barely gotten together when Rommel shot out of the camp in a Panzer at full speed. Ekkehard rolled his eyes, "Jetzt geht das schon wieder los."

Considering that most of the Germans just groaned, Welkin chose not to ask what he was on about. Instead, he focused on the battle ahead. The plains offered little to no cover, but there was no choice, with the Imperial Air Force holding the numerical advantage there was no time to construct trenches. He only hoped that the Royal Gallian Air Force could hold out so they could end the battle quickly.

* * *

Up in the air, Joseph hoped the same thing, he only had 35 working planes with pilots, of which, only Richthofen was a non-native Gallian, and for most of the Gallians, it was their first battle. Shaking his head, he looked to the front of his plane, where he saw what could only be described as an angry swarm, "Radar, I have contact ahead, confirmation?"

The nearby radar station quickly replied, "Confirmed Commander, enemy fighters heading your way. We can't get a confirmed number as it's just showing up as one massive blob on our sets. Good luck."

Joseph's eyesight was better than most, but even a quick guess worried him. "Alright people." he began, "There's probably four hundred fighters ahead of us, remember your training and let's do this. Red Leader, take your group high and sunwards, see if you can't get a few to make mistakes with the sun in their eyes." he ordered, "The rest of you, with me. Let's give them a good thrashing."

Richthofen nodded, "Copy, Blue Leader." he replied before turning his plane and climbing high.

Joseph looked at his instruments one more time, and also at a picture Alicia had taken of him and Isara during their leave to the beach. It was when he had pressed a kiss to her forehead and they treasured the scene, though he still wasn't sure how Alicia had gotten the War Corespondent to part with their camera for the picture. Nor how it hadn't been plastered all over the country like any other picture of Alicia, Welkin, Joseph or Isara. It would always amuse him that the Gallians viewed Crìsdean as the sidekick and not the other way around.

A sudden explosion tore his mind back to the present, "Increase to attack speed, try to fly unpredictably to avoid the improvised AA."

Not bothering to hear the acknowledgements from the pilots behind him, he began the deadly dance.

* * *

Down below on the ground, General Selvaria Bles looked to the skies. She would never understand how these aircraft were supposed to work, but it did give her troops an edge on the field, so she didn't complain. Much. Looking at one of them in particular, she noticed the markings in an unusual language on the sides of the cockpit. Knowing that the pilots tended to keep the markings the same, she knew that it had to be the pilot from Barious who threw their plane at her. The same one who, by all accounts, was the best pilot in the Gallian Air Force.

Grabbing her lance, she lined up her shot and took it. However, that would be the last thing she would remember about the Battle for Naggiar Plains…

* * *

Joseph had gotten a slow start to the battle, having only shot down 7 enemy planes out of the hundreds that were in the skies. Suddenly, he watched as his engine was engulfed in a blue flame and just left him. Seeing the witch from Barious, he knew that there was nothing he could do, but his plane was on a collision course with her anyways, so he just opened his cockpit, undid his seatbelt, rolled his plane over and after a moment, pulled his chute cord.

Thankfully for him, the wind carried him over to Gallian lines and right into Squad Seven. When Welkin popped his head out of Edelweiss and cocked an eyebrow at him, Joseph simply said: "Lost my engine, decided she could keep the plane."

Welkin shook his head and chuckled, "That would explain the explosion then." he replied before looking to the rest of the squad, "FORWARDS!"

It wasn't long before the squad encountered heavy resistance, making advances difficult. "Urgh. If only we had large artillery." Welkin groused.

From his position in Edelweiss, Joseph could only agree. Bullets ricocheted off the hull and he did his best to avoid lances, he only hoped things were going slightly better in the skies.

* * *

"I'm hit! Going-" "He's on-" Manfred von Richthofen listened to the radio as he battled his way through the enemy, feeling every loss and hoping that they managed to survive impact, or set down. It wasn't looking good for them. By his maths, they were down the majority of two squadrons and had hundreds of planes still to face. Suddenly, one of his spoke up "Red Leader! You have at least twenty on your tail!"

Richthofen looked behind him, seeing a lot more than that, "Scheiße!" he exclaimed.

It took all of his skill to avoid taking severe damage, bagging three additional kills into the bargain when suddenly the radio crackled, "Red Leader, this is White Leader, I'm coming up on your six, might want to dive a bit."

Manfred blinked, Blue Leader had been shot down and Green Leader was indisposed, but he listened to the mysterious White leader and flipped his plane and dove, turning around.

It turned out to be the right call to make as Red Five called out "Holy Shit! White Leader just took down at least 24!"

Manfred sighed in relief, "Button it people, let's tighten up and finish this." now he was very thankful that the Goddess had given his plane more than a few upgrades to stay on par with those newfangled "Seafires" that the others flew.

By the end of the air battle about an hour later, White Leader had added another squadron's worth of planes to their kill count and the Imperials had been driven out of the air, allowing them to switch to providing Close Air Ground Support.

* * *

Down on the ground, the sudden assistance of the RGAF was very welcome to the rest of the Gallians. Along with the energy from General Rommel constantly personally leading the charge they soon came to a collapsed building. "Based on our information, this was the Imperial Command and Control Centre," Welkin remarked.

Joseph let out a long and low whistle, "So this is where my plane threw itself…"

Sudden movement of the rubble soon drew their attention and their rifles. The bit of concrete that had been moving fell in a single moment and revealed one of the most valued targets, General Selvaria Bles, being dragged out by her assistant, Johann Eisen. "Just a little longer General, we'll get you some medical attention."

The exhaustion was plain in his voice and it was little surprise when he collapsed beside his unconscious General. Welkin took pity on them, having remembered them from the Princess' Ball a few weeks ago and seen the looks of love they sent each other. "Have a medic see to their wounds and send them to the rear." he ordered before turning back, "Oh and see if you can't find out where the General is, I'm sure the battle is nearly over."

Welkin turned to Joseph who was looking skyward, "Who was that?"

Joseph shrugged, "Don't know, can't think of any pilots with an Edelweiss on the tail." he replied before taking one more look at the plane in question, heading back to base undoubtedly, "I can't shake the feeling I know the pilot though."

Welkin shrugged, "Well, if you're fast enough, we might be able to catch them-" he began before Edelweiss lurched into life, nearly throwing him out of the hatch, "Joseph! Wait until I'm back inside the tank before you do that! JOSEPH!"

If the man heard him, no one would ever know. When they arrived back at the main base, Joseph stopped Edelweiss so suddenly that Welkin was nearly thrown from the Commander's Hatch. "JOSEPH!" Welkin shouted.

But Joseph was long gone, Welkin looked up to see Joseph running across the field towards… "Isara?"

Time slowed for Joseph when he caught sight of His Rose jumping out of her fighter. Before he even realised what he was doing, he was out of Edelweiss and almost halfway across the base. "ISARA!" he cried out.

And Isara heard him, "Joseph!" she replied as she ran to meet him.

When they met, it was like everything stopped for them as they embraced and their lips met in a passionate kiss. At that moment, they both knew that they would make it, and were eager to end the war…

* * *

**With the Capture of General Selvaria Bles, the War in Gallia looked to be on its final deathbed. All that remained between Gallia and peace was the formidable Citadel Ghirlandaio, and Prince Maximilian. But not all would be good for the members of Squad Seven, something that would become apparent just before and during the final battle.**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Well, been an interesting one, only got three more chapters in this particular story left. After I finish this, my Discord will vote on what I work on next, but I will be back to add to the story of Alliance, I have three additional fics planned for this series.**_

_**Until Next Time: Stay Safe**_


	19. Interlude V

The Gallians, wanting to keep up the momentum after their victory at the Plains of Naggiar, pushed on to Citadel Ghirlandaio. However, they soon encountered a slight miscalculation that had been made. A sudden lack of petrol for the German tanks. This slowed their progress considerably as they waited for resupply trucks from the capital. As Rommel found out.

"You mean to tell me that we are stuck here until trucks from Randgriz get here?" He asked.

His orderly nodded, "Ja Herr Rommel, during the Naggiar battle, out fuel depot was hit by an Imperial plane, we couldn't fix it in time and we left in such a rush that we couldn't resupply from the little that remained."

Rommel sighed, "How long until the trucks get here?"

The orderly sighed, "The thirteenth, so two days."

Rommel waved off the orderly, he rarely liked sitting about, but he had no other options.

* * *

Elsewhere in the camp, the medics of Squad Seven sat at a table, reading some papers, "Are you _sure_ about it?" Gina asked.

Fina nodded, "I ran the test results twice just to be sure. They are accurate."

Mina's head found the table's surface, "How did we get assigned to the squad who couldn't keep it to themselves?"

Gina scoffed, "At least there's one couple that we don't have to worry about yet."

Fina sighed, "How the hell is the _youngest_ couple the most responsible?"

Neither of her sisters knew how to answer that question. Instead, once Mina could be persuaded to lift her head from the table, they set off to deliver the good news.

* * *

It didn't take long before they found Alicia, Varrot and Catherine, but they were all together with the rest of the squad. And while they respected the girls' right to privacy, they were also fully aware that the news would have made its way through both squad and regiment before they could return to the medical tent.

As luck would have it, Welkin was the first to see them, "Ladies, how goes things?" he asked.

Mina, Gina and Fina looked at each other and shrugged, might as well go whole hog on this, "Well, since we're taking three members of the Third Regiment off of combat duty, I'll let you be the judge of that."

Welkin raised an eyebrow, "So my suspicions were right then?"

Fina nodded, but before she could make a remark, Alicia let out the mother of all squeals and wrapped her arms around Welkin so tightly that the triplets were worried that he would collapse from lack of oxygen to the brain. It took most of the others a few minutes to realize that she had said "the Third Regiment" and not "Squad Seven" which got the gears turning.

Rosie was the first to connect the dots, "There are four couples here, who kept it together?"

Mina sighed, "We're taking Captain Varrot, Sergeant Melchiott and Private O'Hara off of combat duties."

When Rosie raised an eyebrow at Mina's exasperated tone; Fina explained, "Mina's more than a bit tired of dealing with this. You see, the last group we served with in the Federation ended up getting disbanded because it was entirely female and they all ended up knocked up."

When no one else seemed surprised, Captain Varrot spoke up, "I understand Alicia and myself, but I'm kind of surprised about you Catherine, I wasn't aware you had a significant other."

Catherine blushed a bright red, instead choosing to step away and inform her lover of the news. Juno, however, chuckled, "Must be what Joseph was referring to on our first morning at the beach."

Joseph, for his part, raised his hands "I refuse to take any responsibility for this."

Gina rolled her eyes, "Ironic from the most responsible man of the group."

This coaxed a chuckle from most of the squad, leading Rosie to ask the only logical question, "So, when's the weddings?"

Welkin looked at Alicia, Alicia looked at him, "Today." they said as one.

The squad cheered at that, leading them to look at Largo and Captain Varrot. "Hey Welkin, Alicia?" Largo began, "How do you two feel about a dual battlefield wedding?"

Rommel had heard the commotion from the first cheers and had come to investigate. Hearing those cheers made him shake his head with a smile on his face, "It's probably the best time for it, we're still out of range of the citadel's guns and the Imperial Air Force seems to be in a full retreat."

* * *

The preparations, or madness depending on who you asked, that followed was a whirlwind, especially for the brides and grooms. While most of the army wouldn't be involved, the Third Regiment would be there. Two makeshift veils were quickly made and the regimental chaplain brought on board.

Soon the entire regiment was gathered in their least destroyed uniforms in the mess tent, the only area they could do this and have seats. Largo and Eleanor would go first then Welkin and Alicia would be after them.

The elder's ceremony took the least time, being just quick and simple vows before their kiss. For Welkin and Alicia however, it was to be as close to their dream wedding as they could get on the battlefield.

The Chaplain looked over Welkin again, struggling to believe that the man standing in front of him was the son of another couple for whom he had officiated, or that so much time had passed since then. For his part, Welkin tugged at his jacket one more time, hoping that it was straight with Isara and Joseph walked down the aisle towards them, the Chaplain knew that Welkin would have had Faldio stand with him, but with Susie away, Welkin had figured that, like Alicia, he would go with his second option, which didn't seem to be a bad idea either.

Joseph noticed Welkin's posture and leaned over to him when they passed by, "Breathe man, you'll do no good if you're sprawled out on the floor."

Welkin let in a breath, not realizing that he had been holding it. Nodding to Joseph, Welkin watched as everyone stood and Alicia walked in on the arms of his Godparents. To him, she seemed to float across the floor, while they were just in their uniforms, she seemed even more beautiful than ever.

The Chaplain smiled as Welkin took Alicia's hand and walked her the final few steps to the makeshift altar. Allowing the moment to sink in for a few moments, he finally spoke "It is not the first time I have had the pleasure of uniting two people in a holy union on the battlefield, nor the first time today that has occurred. However, I am reminded of another couple, many years ago, whom I united in much the same circumstances." this drew a chuckle out of the crowd and the Chaplain smirked, "Ah well, like Father like Son, or so I hear."

The surprise on Welkin's face was pleasing for the elderly man to see, but he drew himself out of his nostalgia trip, for a little while anyway to administer the rites that had been asked of him, "Welkin Gunther, do you vow to take this lady as your honoured and lawfully wedded wife? Through War and Peace, Plague and Prosperity, and through the Sorrows and Joys? That your Children are Hers and that you shall be by Her side so long as you both shall live?"

Welkin nodded, "I do."

The Chaplain then looked to Alicia "Alicia Melchiott, do you vow to take this man as your honoured and lawfully wedded husband? Through War and Peace, Plague and Prosperity, and through the Sorrows and Joys? That your Children are His and that you shall be by His side so long as you both shall live?"

Alicia nodded through the tears in her eyes, "I do."

"Then, with the powers vested in me, I do hereby proclaim you Mister Welkin and Missus Alicia Gunther." He called out before turning to Welkin, "You may kiss the bride now."

Barely had the Chaplain started the phrase before Welkin and Alicia had started to give everyone in the tent quite show. Everyone cheered for the new couple and soon they moved onto the celebration part of things. Though there was no cake, they still found some bread for traditional "cake in spouse's face" moment.

* * *

Joseph and Isara had just sat down and relieved Juno from babysitting duties after having danced their fill, at least for the moment. All of a sudden everything stopped. The music, the people, everything. "Hello my responsible dears." a familiar voice said.

Joseph and Isara just about leapt out of their seats as they turned around and faced the green-haired Goddess, "Didn't mean to frighten you, just thought I come and check on how my favourite couple is getting on."

Joseph chuckled, "Well their wedding was rather perfect, though I have a sneaking suspicion that in a few years, they'll be renewing their vows so they can have a proper peacetime wedding and the one of their dreams."

Lady rolled her eyes and lightly punched Joseph's shoulder, "I was talking about you two."

Isara blinked, "You're the person I saw in my dreams while I was under for surgery, aren't you? Lady, if I remember rightly."

Lady smiled, "Good memory Isara, and yes, I am quite real. My co-creator and husband is currently holding down the fort up in Heaven whilst Welkin's folks cry their eyes out." she replied before shaking her head, "The Chaplain wasn't kidding, apparently Mrs Gunther was carrying Welkin when they were married. I had to escape before I lost my mind at the irresponsibly on display."

Riley began fussing and Isara began rocking her, causing Lady to smile at the scene, "You two will be good parents, I'm sure of it."

Joseph smiled at Isara and took her hand before a thought crossed his mind, "Last time you came to me, you mentioned that Crìs would be hard-pressed to keep it together, boy were you right…"

Lady frowned at that, "Yes… I'm afraid that all is not done either, there's still a war to win after all." she remarked before getting a predatory glint in her eye, "Though if you could send that twat who styles himself a God to Hell, that would be lovely. I have all sorts of toys to use on him."

Neither Isara nor Joseph wanted to even guess what those "toys" would be. However, before either of them could make a remark, a brown-haired man appeared behind her, "Sorry to take you away love, but it's time."

Lady sighed before squeezing their shoulders, "Before this war is won, one of your squad is going to be hurting very bad. You cannot prevent it, nor can you tell anyone, just be ready for it."

With that ominous farewell, Lady and her husband departed, restoring the time-flow. Joseph had a bad feeling about it and Isara shared it. They only hoped it wouldn't be too bad. How little they knew how wrong they would be…


	20. Episode X

Welkin walked out of his tent a few days after the dual wedding and looked over the state of the camp. Fuel trucks for the German tanks had arrived late last night and the tank crews had worked throughout the night to ensure that the final attack would begin today.

Welkin looked at where Captain Varrot stood, she and the members of Squad Seven that had been taken off of combat duties would watch the progression of the battle from the camp.

Rather soon afterwards, the call for battle went out and final preparations were to be made. Welkin gave Alicia a quick kiss before climbing into Edelweiss, driven by Karl as Isara had proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the air. Setting off, Welkin looked at the mighty force beside him. Setting off, Welkin looked at the mighty force beside him. Whereas a Gallian Officer would have just sent Squad Seven to clear the path for their breaching charge on the rails, Rommel had deployed his own personal division together with the Sevens. Meanwhile, he ordered the rest of the Army to do what they could to draw the Imperial's attention and attempt a cruder breach themselves. Once they made it into the citadel, the battleplans fell apart and it would be down to unit commanders to achieve the objectives of capturing not only the citadel but also the Imperial Prince Maximilian.

Rommel soon cut his thoughts short as he climbed into his Panzer IV with Ekkehard's King Tiger flanking him. "This is it people, by sundown the War will be over if we are successful." he said before looking towards the enemies' positions, "Vorwärts!"

The battle outside the citadel wasn't that difficult, nor was it long. The Gallian "battering ram" ran into the citadel wall and detonated in spectacular fashion. Elsewhere on the battlefield, reports of breaches flooded back to the command tent and the observers. The battle almost seemed over before it had begun.

* * *

On the roof of the citadel, Prince Maximilian watched as His troops continued to fail Him. Reports of breaches flooded in with every explosion, the 40 feet of concrete unable to hold back from the explosives. He thought that if the Gallians had wanted, they could have levelled the place with their bomber planes.

He scowled at the thought of being demanded to surrender, the Imperial Court had abandoned Him, left to die for Their plots and intrigue. But they would pay in time, for He held the True Vision for the Empire, it was He that held the power of Gods and He could not be stopped!

Perhaps Maximilian should have heeded the deep rumble of thunder that sounded at that thought as the actual Goddess demonstrated displeasure, but he would never consider that he was wrong.

* * *

It wasn't long before Gallian troops poured into the citadel, quickly overrunning Imperial forces, many of whom actually surrendered without a fight. Welkin looked over to Rommel, "This feels too easy. Could it be a trap?"

Rommel was thinking much the same, "All troops, keep your eyes open for explosives, advance with caution, assume that the Imperials are drawing us into a trap." he ordered before looking over to Welkin, "Clear the Armoury quickly Lieutenant, I don't want them setting that off."

Welkin and Squad Seven took off at top speed and Rommel looked at Ekkehard, "Take a unit to the top, I want the high ground before I advance into the plaza."

Ekkehard nodded and assembled his men before storming the rooftops. A sudden sense of foreboding came over Rommel, but he could not put his finger on it and pushed it from his mind for the moment.

In the air, Joseph and Isara were utterly destroying any trace of the Imperial Air Force. Anytime that either of them was in even the slightest hint of trouble, the other quickly got them out of it.

Down below, in the bowels of the citadel, Welkin and the Sevens ran through the halls and rooms, taking many prisoners and securing the Armoury in short order.

The rooftops were a much harder fight, being manned by Maximilian's personal guard. The fighting was fierce, often at the tip of a bayonet. Ekkehard chased an important-looking officer away from the main fight, through the towers and just before the balcony, he managed to knife him. Looking around, and unsure of how to get back to his troops, Ekkehard stepped through the door and onto the balcony and face to face with the Prince. No words were exchanged, Ekkehard couldn't even react before he felt the lance pierce his gut.

Maximilian was smug after His kill, but he didn't expect to see the officer impale himself further onto His lance, "You have no chance to defeat Us. We shall reclaim all that is Ours from the interlopers."

Ekkehard grit his teeth as the pain coursed through his body. Finally, he reached the Prince and grabbed his shoulders, "Der Mensch ist böse." he replied.

The Prince was confused but had little time to think on the matter as He was thrown from the tower and plummeted with the officer, the man ensuring that death would greet them both.

Down below them, many of the Germans were escorting Imperial prisoners to the rear under Rommel's eye. Slow work, but preferable to getting shot at. A sudden thud drew everyone's eyes towards the corpse of Prince Maximilian, a look of terror on his face. A moment later, while everyone was still looking at Maximilian, a second body impacted the ground, one that raised memories he had long thought buried in the passing years…

* * *

[Author's Note: The following paragraphs are meant to be conversations in German, translated for ease of reading]

_Rommel looked over the trench top, preparing himself for the charge that was becoming the signature of every general on both sides of this "Great War". A young voice piped up, "Herr Rommel? Is there a lot of wire between the trenches?"_

_Rommel smiled slightly, "No, it seems like the Entente hasn't had much time to set them up yet." he remarked before turning to the voice, "Do not be too worried about that, focus on what your job is and you'll do well young Krauss"_

_Neither man said another word as the whistle sounded and they both charged over the top._

**_Years later_**

_"I'm just saying that you should give it a try!" Rommel called, much to the exasperation to the much older looking Ekkehard._

_"No! I will not risk it! No matter if we'd be a good match!" he replied before leaving the room._

_Rommel sighed but his wife walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, "Don't be too hard on him, he has a right to be worried about messing up considering how good of friends you two are."_

_Rommel leaned into her embrace, "Perhaps I am being too ambitious, they are young yet and may come round to it, or find someone else even." he murmured before turning and wrapping his arms around her, "Though can you blame me for trying to bring him into the family officially?"_

_Lucia smiled at her husband, "No, but Gertrud is a big girl and can make her own decisions on who she wants to court."_

[Author's Note: End of German section]

* * *

"Herr Rommel?" one of his staff asked, drawing him out of his reminiscing, "We've captured every Imperial in this fort and have recovered the Oberleutnant's body." he reported before tentatively approaching, "Do you have any standing orders?"

Rommel shook his head, "I'll inform her." was all he said.

No one questioned him and though a few of the Gallians were cheering and celebrating, many people were also rather mute, remembering the fallen. Rommel approached the group of women in the camp, the newlyweds comforting the soon-to-be single mother, "Ma'am, you have my deepest condolences…"

* * *

**With the Capture of Citadel Ghirlandaio, the war could finally be over. The loss of Oberleutnant Krauss would affect many of Squad 7 and he would become the face of the cruelty of war, being an expecting Father and the last official casualty of the war.**

**(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)**

* * *

_**Penultimate Chapter up, this story, like all good things, must end and will do so next time.**_

_**Until Next Time, Stay Safe.**_


	21. July 5, 1935EC: Peace

True Peace came a few weeks later, on the Fifth of July, with the signing of the Treaty of Randgriz. Imperial Forces would leave Gallian territory and borders would revert to their pre-war statuses. The Empire would also pay significant financial reparations and would cede the port of Daane in the client-state of Halond, just to the immediate north of Gallia, to Gallian Administration for a duration of 25 years. A demilitarized zone of twenty miles distance from the Gallian border was established. Naturally, the Federation protested, quite loudly too, that the Empire would just break the DMZ by claiming that their forces were "in combat" with Federation forces. They were politely ignored.

What surprised many in the Gallian court was the rather generous terms the Empire had presented. They had been of the opinion that they would have to fight hard to get them to so much as leave the border unchanged. Many suspected that once the war started turning against them, Imperial Nobles hung the Prince out and abandoned him.

After the signing ceremony, Princess Cordelia called together her Cabinet, a group of Nobles from the Parliament who took care of the day to day running of Gallia. "With the completion of the war, people are tired. We need to institute rebuilding programs and we need to keep up the national spirit."

Rather surprised at the confident tone the Princess used, the Cabinet was caught on the back-foot for the most part. Whereas when they had last met, at the start of the war, she had let Borg do most of the talking. Finally, the Minister of the Interior, a Gaius von Emden, spoke up, "While I'm sure you have a few ideas, I believe the first order of business should be the election of a new Prime Minister. At the current moment, should something happen to you the nation would more than likely be torn apart by Civil War, the Prime Minister would at least allow us to keep the nation together."

Cordelia nodded, "Agreed. Make the announcement and make it soon, for I have my own I need to inform the people of."

Gaius raised an eyebrow, but it was Gilbert Gassenarl who voiced the question, "And that would be?"

The Princess glared at Gassenarl, "Nothing that _you_ would be interested in Gassenarl. Considering communications between yourself and members of the Federation Council were intercepted and your deal with them made known."

Gassenarl tried to bluff his way out, but the Princess cut him off before he could even start, "In exchange for Federation Membership and a seat on the Federation Council, you would depose me and install yourself as King. It is over Gassenarl, you won't win."

Members of her personal guard escorted him out and the rest of the Cabinet looked tentatively at her. Finally, Minister von Emden couldn't take the silence any longer, "Whilst that traitor deserves our contempt, his question is valid, what _is_ your announcement?"

Cordelia gave a genuine smile, "Simply put, I'm getting married."

She had believed that she wouldn't get universal approval from her cabinet, pretty much all of her advisers either disapproved of Captain von Essen or they were looking to put their own sons or grandsons onto the throne. So she was rather pleasantly surprised when a minor majority applauded.

That was soon interrupted by a member of her guard entering, "Pardon the interruption, but everyone is in position for the ceremony and everything has been procured."

The ministers all looked confused, causing satisfaction to rise through her. Finally one of them spoke, "Ceremony? I thought that had already happened?"

Princess Cordelia rolled her eyes mentally, instead maintaining her pleasant exterior, "The Peace ceremony perhaps, but this is the awards ceremony where we're going to recognize the heroes who gave their all to defend us."

Cordelia hoped they would just leave it there, but of course, one of them just had to speak up, "Who's being honoured and with what?"

Cordelia bit her lip. She knew that they would bombard her with objections and protests, but also that they wouldn't move until they knew. "Much of the Militia is getting the Meritorious Service Medal, Captain Eleanor Potter, and the officers of the seventh squad under her command are getting promotions. Lieutenant Krauss, if posthumously, will receive the Gallian Medal of Honour and a promotion," she replied before pausing. Of course, she knew the next two would cause the uproar, "Commander Hernandez and Leader Hernandez are getting promotions. They will also be awarded the Medal of Honour."

As predicted, the announcement that a Darcsen would be awarded the highest honour that Gallia could give anyone threw most of her cabinet into the predicted vitriol against Darcsens. Letting them vent for a while watching with a very bored face, she looked over at von Emden, who wasn't shouting and discreetly signalled him to come over to her. "How are Cleo and the kids?" she calmly asked.

Gaius raised an eyebrow before seeing what she was doing, "Anxiously expecting the first of the grandbabies actually. Alina's due date is tomorrow, but considering that both her and her brother were both early, Cleo took her in last night, just to be safe."

The Princess nodded, "That conversation has popped up occasionally between Wilhelm and I."

Gaius smiled, "Children are the greatest blessing ever to have been bestowed on me, hell of a lot of work, but they are worth it in my opinion." he replied before looking at her carefully, "Please forgive the question Highness…"

Cordelia smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not expecting quite yet, I believe the tabloids would be the first to insinuate it and surprisingly they haven't said a thing."

Gaius shrugged, "I think the correspondent from Squad Seven might have had something to do about that, she's been going after the so-called 'journalists' that have been lurking around the Palace."

Cordelia nodded, remembering her from her coverage of the ball. She then cocked her head towards the whinging nobles, "None of them have anything to lose and everything to gain by standing behind me when I present the Medals of Honour. If they aren't there, then they have no excuse, if they are, then all of their anti-Darcsen friends can simply be told that the big mean Princess forced them to be there." she remarked before turning on her heel, "The Ceremony has probably been delayed at this point, shall we Minister?"

Drawing up with her escort, they walked to the ceremony. Cordelia walked to the stand and began her speech: "Today we re-emerge into the light from a great dark struggle. Three months ago, I asked my cabinet if it was possible to survive. Today I instructed them to begin the reconstruction efforts to heal this battered land." she said before looking down slightly, "Many brave people have sacrificed so much to bring this day to us, even more have made the ultimate sacrifice in the hopes to, one day, let us see peace. Friends, Grandfathers and Grandmothers, Aunts and Uncles, Mothers and Fathers, Brothers and Sisters, Sons and Daughters, Grandsons and Granddaughters. All have fought in their own way in this war. Today, we honour them, living and dead, to ensure that they will not have died in vain, and that future generations do not endure what we have. Today a chosen few will be recognized here for their service, but there are many more stories of bravery, of compassion and of devotion that deserve to be heard, far too many to count."

Here she paused and looked at the list, "Lieutenant Ekkehard Krauss gave his life in the recapture of Ghirlandaio and took with him the perpetrator of this war, Prince Maximilian. It is for that reason that we present the Gallian Medal of Honour to his widow, Private Catherine O'Hara of the Seventh Squad of the Third Regiment of the Gallian Militia and posthumously promote him to the rank of Captain for this and many more feats he accomplished during his service to Gallia."

Catherine was in quite the state by the time she reached the stage. While it was considered a breach of protocol, Cordelia's heart went out to the poor women who would have to go on and raise a child without the help of the father and she embraced her.

Catherine quietly accepted the hug from the Princess before making her way back to her seat. Her squad formed a shield from any cameras and she was thankful for them. The Princess observed for a moment before collecting herself, determined that Catherine would be able to have a comfortable life. "For our final two, they earned their Medals of Honour after taking on impossible odds time and time again. Pilots of our new Royal Air Force, I welcome Joseph and Isara Hernandez to the stands."

Joseph and Isara stood and walked up, they had both been pleased that people were referring to her with her married name. Once they accepted their medals, they had been about to head back when the Princess signalled that they should stay a moment, "Commander Crìsdean McAllen retired earlier today, citing poor health." she began, though she and squad seven were the only ones to know what exactly she meant by poor health, "If you are willing, he recommended you, Commander Hernandez, to take the new role as Air Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the RGAF and for your wife to take the position of Second-in-Command. Do you both accept?"

There was no discussion required for either of them, they knew that the role would allow them to have a flexible schedule and that they would be able to still have their family. "We do your Highness." Isara replied.

Cordelia smiled, "Thank you, perhaps today will be the start of a new chapter, not only for Gallia, but for the Darcsen people as well." she remarked before being struck with an idea, "And I think I may be able to further that as well."

Everyone raised an eyebrow except for Captain von Essen who just inclined his head slightly. A signal to her that he would follow her lead. Raising her hands, she gently removed her elaborate headdress to reveal her luscious locks of _blue_ hair, only Darcsens had blue hair and so the shock in the chamber was palpable.

Handing her headdress to an attendant, she turned back to the crowd of people, waiting for their reaction. When the first person did it, she wasn't that surprised, but when the entire chamber knelt before her, she was touched beyond belief.

With the final speech and award given, the festivities kicked off in full swing. While the Princess knew that today her people had taken the first steps in peace, the next years would prove to be decisive in the future of the nation, and as the British officers sang the last strains of a song called _The Parting Glass_, Cordelia wondered what that future would be but knew that with such capable people by her side, Gallia would endure.

**_TO BE CONTINUED_**

* * *

**_At last, a journey that began over a year ago comes to a halt. It's been a pleasure to write this story. So much so that I will eventually come back to this and write some more stories in this universe, but I have a very long list of stories and story ideas that I need to work through, not to mention other commitments as well, so it may be many years before I come back. I will be taking the next week to work on something I call my "Vault of Firsts" on Archive of our own and then I will have my Discord Server vote on my next project.  
_**

**_Until Next Time, Stay Safe_**


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